Despite cancer and early race setback, Jack Tenold finishes 49th Bloomsday alongside his family

A little after 2 p.m., having been on his feet for 5 hours, Jack Tenold finally crossed the Bloomsday finish line, his wife, Tana, and their daughter’s family by his side.

Jack has ran, or more recently walked, in every single Lilac Bloomsday Run since its inception in 1977.

The 79-year-old fighting Stage 4 lung cancer went through two batteries for the oxygen concentrator on his back before the end. He had been on pace to beat his time estimate, but had to circle back half a mile when he realized his number hadn’t been registered over the two-mile mark.

Still, in the end, after a quick breather, Jack and his family wandered over to O’Doherty’s just a minute before last call for seating. Jack and Tana split a reuben.

“Do you want to split a beer, too?” Tana asked.

“What do you think I am, a communist?” Jack retorted.

They both got their own Samuel Adams.

“We just did it,” Jack said of the 7.5 mile-turned-8.5-mile course. “That extra mile really hurt, though. That last mile was hard.”

Still, there were fewer rest stops on Doomsday Hill than originally budgeted for, and Jack needed fewer batteries than they had stocked up.

“It was every bit as hard as I thought it might be,” Jack acknowledged. “I’m just tired. But, you know, if we had to walk another couple of miles, we would do it.”

“Yeah, that’s my dad,” said Allison Berro, their daughter, holding her own small child, Julia. “Growing up, he used to say, ‘Oh, you could do that standing on your head,’ or ‘Just never quit.’ He’s leading by example.”

Berro, her husband, Gonzalo, and Julia flew up from California to attend Bloomsday this year, starting in a later group than her parents but catching up along the way before walking the rest of the course as a family. Julia had napped for most of the race, but got out of the stroller around Doomsday hill and walked and danced much of the rest of the way.

“It’s a beautiful course,” Jack said. “I just really felt every step of it this time.”

“The interesting thing was the street cleaners coming along; I’ve never seen that before,” Tana said.

“Yeah, that’s when you know you’re late in the game, and the cops behind you,” Jack laughed.

Tana smiled. 

“So now I guess he’s got to rest up and get ready for the next one.”