Mansfield’s Ward turns recovery into a 343-mile bike ride for resilience

MANSFIELD — Annette Ward had not ridden a bike in nearly 20 years when she registered for a 343-mile ride from Boston to New York City.

Now Ward, a cancer survivor, is training for the First Responder Ride for Resilience, a five-day event honoring the 343 firefighters and first responders on scene during the Sept. 11 attacks.

The 59-year-old Mansfield woman will ride from Sept. 6 to 10 and finish at the Twin Towers Memorial in New York City on Sept. 10, the eve of the 25th anniversary of 9/11.

“I never thought in a million years I’d be signing up for a ride like this. I have never ridden a bike beyond six miles,” Ward said. “I’m super excited.”

From recovery to the open road

The past several years changed how she views life, she said.

Her husband, Rick Ward, died from cancer in December 2024. Months earlier, doctors diagnosed Ward with Stage 3 inflammatory breast cancer in July 2024.

Her sixth treatment was on a Thursday. The following Monday, hospice came in for her husband after they told her he probably wouldn’t make it through the weekend. 

“The oncologist kept telling me it was going to be a walk in the park, and I was hoping it would be,” Ward said. “Then hospice came in for my husband, and I was laying in bed trying to wrap my head around that.”

She completed treatment in August 2025. Radiation lasted from March 2025 through May 2025.

During a follow-up appointment in February, Ward asked her oncologist, Dr. Jeffery VanDeusen at Avita Health System, whether she could begin exercising again.

VanDeusen approved the 12-week Livestrong Program at the Mansfield YMCA, which helps cancer survivors rebuild strength.

The Livestrong Program is sponsored by Avita Health System.

Ward said she was hoping for something more along the lines of Planet Fitness, but the Livestrong Program has become a turning point.

She noted an X-ray showed she still had a fractured rib healing. Discovering the injury convinced her to join the program so she could safely reacclimate herself to exercise equipment and physical activity.

Ward said an email about joining the community led her to click the link, where she found information about the 9/11 bike ride.

“I was reading about it and thought it sounded really neat,” she said. “Then I attended a virtual meeting, and that’s when I was on board and realized I was going to figure this out.”

It’s going to be rough, but it’ll be worth it all.

Annette ward

“A lot of people say it can take two to three years to get your energy back from chemo, so I am really surprised to feel energized enough to do this,” she added. “I’m grateful for that, because last summer, it was rough.”

Training for miles and meaning

Ward bought a new bike from Ashland Bike Company and started building a training plan, despite little recent cycling experience.

“I started googling ‘couch to 5k’ and was about ready to put in the search ‘couch to 343 mile bike ride,” she said. “Eventually I googled what the training would look like for this ride and it laid out a plan.”

Setting a goal of riding 500 miles before the September event, Ward said she has a page where people can follow her journey and donate. In addition to the $500 registration fee, she must raise $4,000 in donations.

Right now, Ward balances cycling with the Livestrong Program and walks during lunch breaks. She said she often rides rural back roads to prepare for the terrain she expects on the trip.

“If I had never asked to start working out, I would have never learned about this because I’m not in the bike community,” she said. “But I didn’t buy that bike for nothing, I will definitely keep riding.”

Organizers designed the ride as a fully supported event, meaning riders stay in a hotel each night while staff help manage traffic and logistics along the route.

The final day will bring all participants together for a group ride into New York City and the memorial site.

She said the cause and the people involved keep her motivated.

“I think it’s going to be awesome meeting people from all over,” Ward said. “I’m sure there’s going to be a lot who have had cancer themselves.”

Ward’s daughter, Donna, and granddaughter, Keeleigh, will drive her to Boston and then return home before traveling to New York City on the day Ward arrives at the memorial site, where they will join the welcoming committee.

The trip will go through Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York. Ward said being able to see those states and the memorial site is something she looks forward to most.  

“It’s going to be rough,” she said. “But it’ll be worth it all.”