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Sundays SpinOdyssey for breast cancer research spun some mighty big numbers. Some 672 fitness enthusiasts turned out for the fundraiser, held at Intensity in Norwalk, to pedal, exercise or play tennis for the cause. "It just keeps getting bigger and better every year,'' said Westport's Patty Kondub, who co-chairs the event with Norwalk's Terri Polley.
The group set a goal of $450,000 and exceeded that by nearly $3,000 as of Monday. And the donations were still coming in Monday. The Westport-Weston YMCA won the "Team Generosity" award for the most money raised -- $72,841.
"I'm thrilled,'' said Kondub, who has been involved with the event for all 12 years and has been co-chairman for nine. "We're going raise more money than we did last year, and 100 percent of the money goes to fund research. This is an all-volunteer effort. We couldn't do this without them."
Among the 150 who helped pull the event together were members of the Staples High School football team. The kids worked Friday and Saturday to set up 200 bikes in a tennis court at Intensity. "We couldn't do it without them,'' Kondub said. Intensity co-owner Clair Mason has been a major supporter of the event. The facility was bursting at the seams Sunday. A Zumba class was even moved to Studio M to accommodate all the spinners.
The event raised $5,244 in its first year. Now it is the largest and longest-running spinning event in the nation. Organizations from Greenwich to Fairfield participated. Riders can go for one to six hours. "There's a lot of passion out there for finding a cure,'' Kondub said.
How did you feel after the SpinOdyssey on Sunday? Start the discussion below!
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