Starla Maurer

- National: 128th
- State: 3rd in MD
I'm Riding For
Alhena Martinez

On December 17, 2015, Alhena was diagnosed with HLH, a rare autoimmune disease where her immune system attacked her body. She needed two bone marrow transplants, chemo, and high-dose steroids just to survive. Her odds weren’t good—only 30%—but she beat them. She fought harder than most people ever will in their whole lives. For 9 amazing years, she lived in remission. We thought we were done with life-and-death battles. We were wrong… It started with a small pain under her right breast. We thought it was muscle pain or scar tissue from her transplant line. She was in high school now, carrying heavy books—we weren’t overly worried. But to be safe, we went in for a scan. That’s when they found two small nodules in her lung. Pneumonia, they said. A round of antibiotics helped—for a little while. But she wasn’t getting better. And suddenly everything moved fast. Another scan. A planned biopsy. Then a cold pushed things back. On December 23, 2024, we landed in the ICU for the first time ever. Not even during her HLH battle had we experienced that. She could barely breathe. Her back hurt. We thought it was that backpack again. But it was fluid—filling her chest, crushing her lung and heart. Within minutes of emergency surgery, she’d filled an entire container with fluid. But she came out of it smiling, cracking jokes like the rockstar she is. It wasn’t over. Another biopsy. Another surgery. And then, the news no parent ever wants to hear: Cancer. Not just any cancer—CIC-DUX4 sarcoma, an extremely rare and aggressive tumor in her chest wall. And just like that, we were back in a battle we thought we had already fought and won. Alhena doesn’t deserve this …no kid does. But she’s a fighter!!!!!!! She CAN and WILL beat this!!!
My Story
This September, I am taking part in the Great Cycle Challenge to fight kids' cancer!
Why? Because right now, cancer is the biggest killer of children from disease in the United States. Over 15,700 children are diagnosed every year, and sadly, 38 children die of cancer every week.
Kids should be living life, not fighting for it.
So I am raising funds through my challenge to help these kids and support Children's Cancer Research Fund to allow them to continue their work to develop lifesaving treatments and find a cure for childhood cancer.
Please support me by making a donation to give these kids the brighter futures they deserve.
Your support will change little lives.
Thank you.
Starla
My Legacy
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251 mi Ridden$592 Raised2016
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501 mi Ridden$1,030 Raised2017
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807 mi Ridden$1,663 Raised2018
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812 mi Ridden$1,929 Raised2019
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1,048 mi Ridden$2,042 Raised2020
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547 mi Ridden$1,114 Raised2022
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1,054 mi Ridden$2,721 Raised2024
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857 mi Ridden$5,165 Raised2025
My Challenge
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40.0 mi ride - Gettin it done on a Tuesday. - Tuesday, September 23, 2025
Logged this ride 7 hours ago -
25.3 mi ride - Not big miles - but miles - Monday, September 22, 2025
Logged this ride 1 day ago -
58.0 mi ride - Sunday - quads be blowing up - Sunday, September 21, 2025
Logged this ride 2 days ago -
33.0 mi ride - Overcast Saturday. - Saturday, September 20, 2025
Logged this ride 3 days ago -
45.5 mi ride - Through laughter & tears - Friday, September 19, 2025
Logged this ride 4 days ago -
34.2 mi ride - Wednesday full of wind and rain - Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Logged this ride 6 days ago -
36.3 mi ride - Rainy Tuesday Ride - Tuesday, September 16, 2025
Logged this ride 7 days ago -
38.2 mi ride - Hello Monday!!! Nice to see you - Monday, September 15, 2025
Logged this ride 8 days ago -
$5,000 raised to fight kids' cancer!
I just hit $5,000 to fight kids' cancer! Thank you so much for your support.
Posted 9 days ago -
55.0 mi ride - Sunday evening ride and I’m cooked. ❤️ - Sunday, September 14, 2025
Logged this ride 9 days ago
My Sponsors
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Kick Cancer's Butt Day matched donation
$1,486.47Received this donation 13 days ago -
Cathy Farmer
$700Received this donation 13 days agoStarla
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Molly & Josh
$274.28Received this donation 13 days agoStarla
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Anne Jurek
$207Received this donation 54 days agoStarla
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Rick Maurer
$181.13Received this donation 13 days agoStarla
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Cogito Innovations
$155.25Received this donation 13 days agoStarla
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Coral Showalter
$103.50Received this donation 17 days agoStarla
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Elaine & Josh
$103.50Received this donation 13 days agoStarla
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Judith Nale
$103.50Received this donation 21 days agoStarla
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Kathleen Wood
$103.50Received this donation 16 days agoStarla
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Katie
$103.50Received this donation 13 days agoStarla
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Katie Kohl
$103.50Received this donation 20 days agoStarla
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Melody Mudd
$103.50Received this donation 13 days agoStarla
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Roy's Painting Company
$103.50Received this donation 23 days agoStarla
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Sara Dugan
$103.50Received this donation 32 days agoStarla
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Sara Dugan
$103.50Received this donation 13 days agoStarla
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Kendra Burch
$72.45Received this donation 17 days agoStarla
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Christine Mannix
$51.75Received this donation 11 days agoStarla
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Judi Bonds
$51.75Received this donation 16 days agoStarla
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Lorna Michele
$51.75Received this donation 4 days agoStarla