When I first met Patrick Dempsey last weekend, I’m not gonna lie, I was hoping for a Katie-Tom moment where my childhood celeb crush falls madly, hopelessly, jump-on-Oprah’s-couch in love with me. But the hunky, perfectly coiffed 45-year-old actor—and happily married father of three—had something else on his mind: Getting people to come out and break a sweat for a good cause.

Every October, the Grey’s Anatomy star returns to his native Maine from Malibu to host the Dempsey Challenge, a two-day walk, run, or cycle charity event designed to raise money for the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing at Central Maine Medical Center, which opened its doors in Lewiston in March of 2008. He and his sister, Mary, founded the center in response to their mother, Amanda’s, battle with ovarian cancer since 1998 (she’s winning!). The center gives people who have been affected by cancer, including caregivers and their families, a place to receive free support, education, outreach, and wellness services, such as massages, reiki, yoga, and Tai Chi.

Last weekend, 3,834 participants from 33 states and four countries gathered at the starting line of the 5K and 10K walk/run (Saturday) or the bike ride (Sunday) and brought with them more than $1 million—as they have each year since 2009—for the center. Dempsey and his personal pack of nine pro cyclists—including 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Levi Leipeheimer and top-ranked American rider at the 2011 Tour de France Tom Danielson—completed the 50-mile route of the ride. And I was behind them for most of the way.

But even better than the view from behind was watching Dempsey thank volunteers, hug survivors, and snap photos with spectators. He even stopped mid-ride to help some cyclists work through a mechanical issue on the side of the road. What a sweetheart.

If you wanna roll with McDreamy (he always rides the 50, but you can do the 10, 25, 70 or 100-miler), it’s not too early to sign up for next year’s fourth annual event on Oct 13th and 14th ($75 entry fee and $150 minimum fundraising requirement). If you register now at dempseychallenge.org, you can save $10. I already have!

Here are a few highlights from this year’s event:

Photos: Patrick McCarthy

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Running and asthma would seem to be mutually exclusive, but look no further than marathon-world-record holder Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain, who was diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma at the age of 14, to see that it’s possible for asthmatics to enjoy—and excel at—a cardio-intensive sport like running.

Bill Roberts, M.D., medical director for the Twin Cities Marathon and a professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School in St. Paul, Minnesota, offers these six tips for runners who, like him, suffer from asthma. Follow Roberts’ advice and you can hit the road and still breathe deeply.