Swinson, who finished in the early afternoon, wasn't thinking about himself.
He rode for Lauretta Gaskins, a friend recently diagnosed with multiple myeloma. He also was riding for Kim Grant, a Lockheed Martin co-worker who died of cancer last year, and for other friends and relatives who'd had the disease.
Swinson has been riding in the Bike-A-Thon on and off since the early 1980s. He started after seeing the wife of a good friend fall victim to cancer.
As the years went on, he was touched more and more by friends and relatives diagnosed with the disease, including his wife's parents and paternal grandmother.
"My focus didn't change from wanting to help people who couldn't help themselves," he said. "This has never been about me. I have seen so much, and I thought, "I can ride a bike. Here's a way I can help.' "
Swinson's wife Irene, 43, and his children, 15-year-old Jessica and 14-year-old Jesse III, have done their part as well. They helped mark the route in advance and volunteered at the rest stops during the event.
About three years ago, Jesse Swinson joined Lockheed Martin's team. He traded his discount-store 10-speed for a state-of-the-art, carbon-fiber model and began year-round cycling in earnest.
But in April 2005, in the midst of training for the Bike-A-Thon, Swinson was stunned to learn he had prostate cancer.
Doctors assured him that his cancer was slow-moving and he could postpone treatment until after the July 2005 race.
Swinson did the century, raising $2,500.
He had surgery on Aug. 8.
Although he did not require radiation or chemotherapy, he was told to stay off the bike for eight months.
As soon as he could, Swinson started training again, riding a minimum of 30 miles three times a week when his job in Lockheed Martin's maritime division didn't take him away for days or weeks at a time.
"The body may not be 100 percent, but it has to do a lot with mental preparation. I still have that will to help," he said.
On Sunday, "Team Jesse" included Lockheed staffers Tony Smaldone, 48, of Marlton, whose sister, Julia, was a victim of pancreatic cancer; and John Berg, 40, of Cherry Hill.
"This is great. It's quite moving, too," Smaldone said.
Swinson is still collecting contributions and hopes to meet his goal of $3,000. Teamwork, he said, enabled him to achieve his immediate objective of finishing the route.
"Whenever my legs faltered, I could pull back from the lead and let (Smaldone and Berg) take over," Swinson said. "We helped each other."
