Cross (the) country: Sophomore will go the distance for cancer patients

You can’t outrun cancer, as Annalise Jarski well knows.

She never met her grandfather, who died of lung cancer shortly after her birth. Still, he remained a presence, the center of a yearly family ceremony at the beachside rock where his ashes were strewn.

Through the years, the disease touched the sophomore integrative neuroscience major in other ways. Her family adopted a neighbor’s cat, after the woman succumbed to the illness. A family friend and an aunt passed away, and her grandmother also faced a diagnosis.

That’s why Jarski is lacing up her sneakers this summer — and running across North America as part of 4K for Cancer.

“A lot of people I know have been diagnosed with cancer, so it’s good to be doing something that has a larger impact,” she said.

A program of the Ulman Foundation, which benefits young people with the disease, the run is far longer than the 5K races that Jarski competed in as part of her high school cross-country team in Westwood, N.J. The 2,800-mile trek is completed relay-style by three teams of 18- to 25-year-olds; two other teams bike the route. Each participant has to raise $4,500 to participate — or $1 per kilometer, Jarski explained.

The run lasts from June 21 through August 8, and spans the distance between Baltimore and San Francisco. Participants go from town to town, with each runner completing anywhere from 6 to 16 miles a day and resting in the accompanying van in between.

Jarski is also a “leg leader,” responsible for arranging accommodations at host sites such as churches or community centers. There are other stops, too, including hospitals to award scholarships to cancer patients.

While she will share the burden with fellow runners, she acknowledges the journey will be a hard slog at times.

“I know there will be days when I’m going to want to stop. So I’m going to think about the people who can’t do what I’m doing right now.”

Campus connections

A member of both the running and triathlon clubs on campus, Annalise discovered 4K for Cancer while researching trail runs near home. At first, the distance seemed insurmountable, but she was lured by the challenge.

“They gave me a training plan and I’m following it loosely. I’m also doing cross-training to get stronger and prevent injuries,” she said. “I’ve been trying to step up my mileage. I signed up for a half-marathon in April at home; I’m trying to do something every day.”

She contacted friends and family for her fundraising efforts, and also held a sneaker drive in her hometown. Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger also donated to the cause. Community members who would like to contribute can visit her online fundraising site.

“I think it’s going to be one of those things you only do once,” she said of her epic run. “Everyone has been so supportive.”

When it came time to choose a college path, she initially thought small-scale, drawing on her experiences at a small high school. A cousin who attends Binghamton University recommended its top-notch science programs, and Jarski found a larger university to be the right choice, both academically and personally.

“I really love the outdoors and the Nature Preserve was a selling point,” she said. “I looked at smaller schools, but this seemed large and homey. I know I could have a lot of experiences I could partake in.”

So far on her educational journey, she has found inspiration in David Werner’s drugs and behavior class, which led to her current major, and environmental studies adjunct faculty member and advisor Susan Ryan, who helped cultivate her interest in that field.

Jarski’s interests span both neuroscience and environmental science, and she’s currently considering a double-major. At Binghamton, she has enjoyed classes in both subjects, and is weighing potential career paths — as a physician’s assistant, perhaps, or as an environmental epidemiologist.

“Environmental preservation and the conservation of resources are really important to me. I’m looking for a way to combine the two,” she explained. “I’m looking into the healthcare field and seeing how it relates to the environment.”