Going for a Run: Suffield's Ryan Jones To Run for Cancer Society

Suffield High School cross country runner Ryan Jones is running for to raise cancer awareness ... running the entire length of Connecticut.

The SHS senior is scheduled to run 125 miles, across the state of Connecticut, to raise awareness and money to help cancer patients. He's calling his cross-state effort 125 Hope. It will start in Port Chester N.Y. on Wednesday, April 16 and travel along Route 1 until reaching Westerly, R.I.

He plans to run 25 miles per day, reaching Westerly on Sunday, April 20.

"I want to instill hope in those who have been affected by this terrible disease by showing them through running an extreme distance that there are people out there who care about them,'' Jones said in a statement published in The Hartford Courant.

Jones has set three goals — instill hope in cancer patients, raise $1,000 in donation pledges for the American Cancer Society, and entice a donation from Gov. Dannel Malloy.

Jones has been running for the past two years, participating in two marathons, and he joined the Suffield cross country team this past fall. In February, Jones came in first in his age division running 3:23:42 in the Hyannis, MA marathon, according to coolrunning.com.

He has enlisted in the Army National Guard and will be attending the University of Connecticut where he plans to study Human Nutritional Sciences.

Pledges of donations may be sent in care of Joe Grimard at Suffield High School, 1060 Sheldon St., Suffield, CT 06093. Grimard is a science teacher at the school.