Crossing the Country to Cure Cancer

Jarad Schofer is no stranger to long races: 50 miles, 100 miles, and across the state of Tennessee in 2020 alone. He became intrigued by the idea of walking across America—a 3,000-mile ultramarathon and a challenge he felt he could meet.

His idea to raise money for cancer research came to him at a memorial service for a friend and former colleague, Molly, who died in her early forties of pancreatic cancer. Then he learned of the news that Neil Peart—the drummer for Rush, one of Jarad’s favorite bands—passed away from brain cancer in 2020.

“The most rewarding aspect has been having people reach out to me, confide in me that they have cancer, and then tell me that what I’m doing is inspiring them to fight. I chose CRI because I wanted to keep my focus broad and raise money for cancer research in immunotherapy. Also, I spoke to the community fundraising team at CRI and they made me feel like the Cancer Research Institute was the right choice for my fundraising."

Jarad has finished his 89-day cross-country journey and raised over $45,000 to date. Follow his continuing adventures (running, parenting, and raising awareness) on Instagram at @jarad2112 and help him reach $50,000 with a donation.