SEPT 25, 2017

Jeffrey Kummeth was 9 years old when his father, Greg, died of cancer. Father and son were close. Greg pitched batting practice to Jeffrey. He was his Boy Scouts troop leader. They shared a fascination with trains, loving to stop and count the cars.

“We got up to 200 one time,” said Jeffrey.

In 2013, after Greg’s death, Jeffrey ran a 5K with a cancer charity to honor his father. He’s been running ever since.

Now 14, Jeffrey was one of the youngest Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon finishers, covering the 13.1 miles in 1 hour, 55 minutes.

“It feels good,” said Kummeth after knocking off his first half marathon. “But I’m tired.”

A freshman at Garnet Valley High School, Kummeth is running cross country.

“I’m very proud of him,” said Jeffrey’s mother, Jean Kummeth. “He’s done a very good job with the running, and it’s a nice way to honor his father. Despite losing his father, he’s becoming a nice young man.”