WESTWOOD, N.J.—A former Westwood Regional High School cross-country and track star now attending Binghamton University is looking forward to running across the country next year in the fight against young adult cancer.
Annalise Jarski’s six-week journey, from Baltimore to San Francisco, will see her trekking more than 4,000 miles.
Participants split this distance relay-style, running 6–16 miles per day. Ten rest days scheduled throughout the run include time for community outreach and hospital visits.
All proceeds raised for the Ulman Foundation 4K For Cancer 2020 will support the nonprofit’s mission of “changing lives by creating a community of support for young adults, and their loved ones, impacted by cancer.”
The organization helps cover treatment costs, gives patients places to stay during treatment and recovery, and offers patients education and scholarship opportunities.
Jarski, of Westwood, was a top athlete at Westwood Regional High School’s varsity cross-country and track and field teams and now is a sophomore majoring in integrative neuroscience and environmental studies.
She’s rocking her year with the Running Club, Triathlon Club, and Binghamton Buddies, a mentorship program.
At Westwood Regional she also was a member of National Honor Society, Tri-M Music Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, History Honor Society, English Honor Society, Psychology Club, and Peer Pals.
Her volunteer experience included work as a senior Junior Friend with Westwood Public Library, coaching with Westwood Recreation Track and Field, organizing events with Caring About The Strays, and cleaning coops and barns and generally caring for rescued animals at Tamerlaine Sanctuary and Preserve in Sussex County.
She told Pascack Press on Nov. 21 she’s taking on the Ulman 4K in part because within a single month she lost her Aunt Susan and family friend Lenny Beck—and her grandmother’s lung cancer returned.
Lung cancer claimed Jarski’s grandfather 20 years ago.
“Continuously watching friends and family battle cancer has inspired me to fight alongside them by becoming involved in a fundraising campaign that directly benefits cancer patients,” Jarski said.
She explained she’s backing work toward a future where cancer is less prevalent.
She’d placed in the Bergen County Cross-Country Meet of Champions, and now “I’ll be running in memory of those who have passed and those who continue to fight with such strength,” she said.
Fundraisers in the event ride bikes or run relays with the goal of offering hope, inspiration, and support to cancer communities along the way.
Ride teams will begin their journey on May 31 and finish Aug. 8. Run teams will begin their 49-day journey on June 21 and finish on Aug. 8. All teams take different routes but start in Baltimore and end in San Francisco.
Jarski’s high school cross-country and track coach, George Glover, told Pascack Press on Nov. 22, “It figures that she would be involved in a mega endurance challenge, that she would find a way to match her physical strength and ability to rise to a challenge with her sense of community and responsibility.”
He recalled her as “always elegant and thoughtful—always concerned for others before herself. Where she was excellent, she was always humble.”
He said Jarski—a four-year runner—was the varsity program’s best distance runner in cross country and track, running the 400, 800, 1,600, 3,200, and 5,000 meter races.
“She was the only person on her girls track team who could do what she did: running, representing, and scoring in multiple races per meet. She truly carried her team without stumbling,” he said.
The National Cancer Institute said in 2015 that young adults are more likely than either younger children or older adults to be diagnosed with certain cancers, such as Hodgkin lymphoma, testicular cancer, and some types of sarcomas.
In adolescents and young adults 15–24, lymphoma, testicular cancer, and thyroid cancer are the most common types, while among those 25–39, breast cancer and melanoma are more common.
The Ulman Foundation notes that each year more than 72,000 young American adults are diagnosed with cancer.
For more information and to donate toward Jarski’s $4,500 fundraising goal, visit https://give.ulmanfoundation.org/4k-2020/annalisejarski.