He raced 70.3 miles for Ava. Ridgefield answered with $33,000

Ben Fairbanks finished IRONMAN 70.3 Washington on Sunday in 5:48:09. The fundraiser he started in his 16-year-old daughter’s honor has now brought in nearly $34,000 for childhood cancer research — and Ava’s scan is tomorrow.

He said he was going to do it, and then he went and did it. On Sunday morning in Richland, Ben Fairbanks swam 1.2 miles down the Columbia River, biked 56 miles through wine country, ran a half marathon on top of that, and crossed the finish line at Columbia Point Park in five hours, 48 minutes and nine seconds. Under six hours. For 70.3 miles. I want that on record.

And then there’s the number that really got us: the fundraiser Ben and his wife, Adrianne, launched alongside the race has raised more than $33,000 for the Children’s Oncology Group Foundation. They started with a $13,000 goal. Ridgefield and everyone else who saw this story blew past it so fast that the goal got raised to $35,000 — and as of this morning, 154 donations had pushed the total to $33,977.

Five hours, 48 minutes, nine seconds

For the non-triathletes among us (hi, it’s me), 70.3 is the half-IRONMAN distance: a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike, and a 13.1-mile run, back to back, no naps. Ben took it on at the IRONMAN 70.3 Washington Tri-Cities, a race that was voted the best run course in the world by IRONMAN athletes last year.

His time of 5:48:09 works out to an average of under five minutes per mile across all three legs. I have personally driven that route to Richland, and it took me longer than that to find parking downtown.

That’s what Ben wrote before the race. It’s the whole reason for the swim, the bike, the run and the sunburn.

Six months, eight rounds, one varsity roster

About six months ago, Ava Fairbanks, 16, was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. What came next, as her family describes it, was a blur of scans, biopsies, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, side effects, and the kind of disruption that puts a family’s regular life on hold.

She has now finished her eighth round of treatment. And in that same stretch — I need you to really sit with this — she joined the National Honor Society, got her driver’s license, and made the varsity soccer team at Ridgefield High School. Most of us can’t get a library book back on time during a rough month.

The next milestone lands tomorrow: a PET scan on September 24 to find out whether she’s in remission. Four days after her dad crossed that finish line. If you have any good thoughts lying around, send them east of Main Street.

Where the $33,000 goes

Not to the Fairbanks family. Every dollar goes to the Children’s Oncology Group Foundation — the research network behind much of modern pediatric cancer care. The clinical trials, the treatment protocols, the work that turns “we don’t know” into “here’s the plan.” The family credits that research, along with the team at Randall Children’s Hospital in Portland, for where Ava is today.

Ben has pointed to two numbers that are hard to shake: childhood cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in kids, and it receives only about 4% of federal cancer research funding. So a Ridgefield dad on a bike just moved $33,000 into that gap in about two weeks.

Quick answers

Is it too late to donate?

No. The fundraiser is still accepting donations, and it’s within about $1,000 of its $35,000 goal.

Does the money go to the Fairbanks family?

No. Donations go straight to the Children’s Oncology Group Foundation, which is listed as the beneficiary on the fundraiser.

Is my donation tax-deductible?

Yes. According to the fundraiser page, gifts are tax-deductible and the foundation sends tax receipts directly to donors.

What happens next for Ava?

Her PET scan is September 24. The family has been open about sharing their story, and we’ll pass along whatever they choose to share next.