NOBODY FIGHTS ALONE
Garces coach Tobias holds 12-hour run to aid in mom’s cancer battle
Just 24 hours from officially entering adulthood, Jack Tobias didn’t feel much like celebrating.
In the midst of his senior football season at Garces Memorial High School, Tobias received “heartbreaking” news the day before his 18th birthday, when his mother Susan was diagnosed with breast cancer on Oct. 3, 2017.
The news was devastating to hear for the entire family, who had already been hit hard by the disease. Susan’s parents were both lost to cancer, and the passing of his grandparents was firmly on Jack’s mind when he got the news regarding his mother’s health.
But despite some initial shock, Jeremy Tobias says his son quickly composed himself, as everyone was able to rally around a family member in need.
“(Susan’s diagnosis) shook the whole family, especially Jack,” Jeremy said.
“It hit him hard. But those things kind of shape you as an individual, shape your character. And it definitely was a character builder for him and the whole family. We’ve kind of all banded together and fought our way through it and it’s brought us closer.”
Jack, a former three-sport athlete who is currently an assistant baseball coach at Garces, says he had an easy source of motivation in those dark times.
“(My mom’s) a very strong woman so I knew she was going to get through it,” he said.
Three years later, Susan has made progress, but her cancer battle remains ongoing. So as the anniversary of her diagnosis approached, Jack hatched a plan to bring awareness to her struggle.
On Saturday, he embarked on a 12-hour, running/walking marathon around the track at Sam Tobias Field on the Garces campus. Taking several breaks to rest and recuperate, Jack managed to move a total of 30 miles before calling it a day at 6 p.m.
To hear about it, one might assume the event had been in the works for some time. That wasn’t the case, as Jack didn’t even announce his plans until Sept. 26, giving him just one week to train.
And while Jack, who also played linebacker at Bakersfield College, is in good physical shape, his training regimen wasn’t exactly conducive to marathon running.
“I haven’t run in about five months to be honest,” he said during a midday break Saturday. “So it’s quite a surprise that I’m doing what I’m doing. It was kind of spur of the moment. I was like ... ‘might as well just put it together in a week and just do it.’”
Just do it, he did. Though exhausted and experiencing serious cramping, Jack was able to finish his 120th and final lap of the day in a brisk jog, accompanied on the track by 12 spectators and one dog who’d stuck around to see him finish off the day.
“It was definitely a journey,” an exhausted Jack said after his final lap. “I learned a lot about myself but it was all I could imagine, I guess.”
Well before he crossed the finish line, the day was a success.
The day’s primary goal was to raise money for the Kern County Cancer Foundation. Hoping to raise $10,000 by day’s end, that total was eclipsed before noon.
“I thought I was only going to get like $1,000 (by that point), but it came out with those big donations,” Jack said.
The day was a much-needed success for Michelle Avila, the Executive Director of the Kern County Cancer Foundation, who estimates COVID-19 cost the organization 90 percent of its donations from March to August. Avila said a $1,000 pledge late in the morning put Jack over the top and she was elated to share the news with him.
“When I received that email showing the last donation that came in, I was just so excited to tell him about it,” Avila said. “This is a huge commitment and a struggle that he’s going through today to be able to demonstrate what our breast cancer and general cancer survivors are going through.”
Saturday was a true family affair for Jack. His father, Jeremy, joined him on the track for a few laps, while his grandmother Pat Tobias could been seen ringing a cowbell to celebrate whenever he reached a mileage goal.
It was also of notable significance that the marathon was held at Sam Tobias Field, the Garces football and soccer sta
dium named after his great grandfather.
One noticeable absence was Susan, who was away attending a family wedding shower. But even if she wasn’t there in person, Jack says he felt mother’s presence throughout the entire day’s proceedings.
“That’s what’s driving me today,” he said. “She’s my motivation. Everybody that has cancer, everybody that’s battled, everybody that’s been affected by it was really my motivation.”
With another milestone birthday on the horizon, Jack, who turns 21 today, is again likely to forgo a celebration.
Generally known an alcohol-filled day of debauchery, an exhausted Jack expects he’ll go the opposite route for his 21st, agreeing with a Garces official who joked that the only shot he’d be taking would be of an IV.
“Sleep. That’s my plan,” he said.
As of 6 p.m. Saturday, Jack has raised $11,610.
Donations can be made at kerncountycancerrunwalk.dojiggy.com/a3225c3/ reg-pages/pledge/jacktobias. Avila says donations will be accepted through the end of the month.