Ecommerce site Overstock.com and its founder Patrick Byrne have signed on to be a co-presenting sponsor, alongside the Boston Red Sox organization, of the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge (PMC), the most successful athletic event for charity in the country.

The sponsorship, announced today by PMC Founder and Executive Director Billy Starr, is for three years and worth $1.5 million to the PMC and its beneficiary, the Jimmy Fund.

Overstock.com was founded by Patrick Byrne, a four-time cross-country cyclist and a three-time cancer survivor. Byrne rode from San Francisco to Boston to raise awareness about the need for cancer research funding prior to riding in the 2000 PMC. He is among the largest financial contributors to the organization, having personally donated more than $1 million in the last four years.

Since it was founded in 1980, the PMC has raised and contributed more than $122 million to cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund. Last year, the cycling event raised and contributed $20 million, which is more than twice the sum raised by any other athletic fundraising event in the nation.

On August 6 and 7, more than 4,000 cyclists from 35 states and six counties will ride up to 192 miles across Massachusetts in the 26th annual PMC. Their goal is to raise $21 million for cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

http://pmc.org