---
title: "Keeping their memory alive: PMCer bikes, swims and runs with parents in mind"
description: Justin Merolla is a long time Pan-Mass Challenge rider who makes extreme athleticism a personal goal
---

[PMC Blog ](https://www.pmc.org/blog)

# [Keeping their memory alive: PMCer bikes, swims and runs with parents in mind](https://www.pmc.org/blog/keeping-their-memory-alive-pmcer-bikes-swims-and-runs-with-parents-in-mind)

 Written by [Pan-Mass Challenge](https://www.pmc.org/blog/author/pan-mass-challenge) | Mar 31, 2011 4:28:00 PM

 This spring and summer, PMCer Justin Merolla is taking his training for the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge further than most. In June, Merolla will participate in an Ironman Triathlon in Nice, France. This Ironman race is made up of a 2.4 mile swim in the Mediterranean Sea, a 112-mile bike ride through mountains and former stages of the Tour de France, and then, he will run a full 26.2-mile marathon. Merolla's goal is to complete the course in 11 hours. Merolla first rode the PMC in 2008 after his brother, Jamie, and he completed a cross-country bike trek. He has made extreme athleticism a personal goal and says he is a "PMC lifer."

*Jamie Merolla, Justin Merolla and fellow New Yorker Jake Shapiro*

Merolla's mother, Susan, died of breast cancer in 1995 at 42 years old. His father, Joseph, was a PMC rider who taught his three children – Justin, Jamie and their sister Spencer – about the importance of giving back and channeling grief into action. Joseph Merolla was 46 in 1998 when he died due to complications from a blood clot. "Whenever I'm on a bike, my mom and dad are in the back of my mind," said Merolla, 27. "The PMC really connects us with our parents. Jamie and I ride together, and we end the ride on the Cape, where we spent our summers as kids. It's such a special tradition."

*Justin runs a marathon in his first Ironman Triathalon*

*Completing the Ironman!*

Merolla, a Larchmont, New York native who now lives in Manhattan describes his triathlon training as self-indulgent. The PMC keeps him grounded and connected to the cause of fighting cancer, he said. Together, the Merolla brothers have raised more than $120,000 for cancer care and research through their participation in the PMC. Their goal is to raise an additional $10,000 this year.

*Justin and Jamie during their cross-country ride*

[View full post](https://www.pmc.org/blog/keeping-their-memory-alive-pmcer-bikes-swims-and-runs-with-parents-in-mind)

```json
{
  "@context" : "http://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Pan-Mass Challenge"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2019-06-10T16:28:39.896Z",
  "datePublished" : "2011-03-31T16:28:00Z",
  "headline" : "Keeping their memory alive: PMCer bikes, swims and runs with parents in mind",
  "image" : {
    "@type" : "ImageObject",
    "height" : 282,
    "url" : "https://wintercycle.pmc.org/hubfs/blob-784.png",
    "width" : 433
  },
  "mainEntityOfPage" : "https://www.pmc.org/blog/keeping-their-memory-alive-pmcer-bikes-swims-and-runs-with-parents-in-mind",
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "height" : 60.0,
      "url" : "https://wintercycle.pmc.org/hubfs/assets/images/logos/PMC-Google-AMP.png",
      "width" : 600.0
    },
    "name" : "The Spoke"
  }
}
```