Jonathan Nabbs (School House 2004-2008) has accomplished what only a handful of people have done. He has run from one side of Canada to the other. That is approximately an 8,000-kilometre journey that took 305 days and raised more than $120,000 for childhood cancer charities in Canada and New Zealand.

During his daily marathon and more, Jon often ran in a Superman costume to bring joy to children he met in hospitals and cancer wards along the way. When he was not wearing the cape, he was battling some of the harshest weather Canada could offer, including temperatures that dropped below -50°C.

Jon returned to St Paul’s Collegiate School recently to share his story with students, but the journey began long before he landed in Newfoundland, the easternmost point of North America.

For years, he had wanted to complete Te Araroa, the 3,000-kilometre trail running the length of New Zealand. Like many people, he found reasons to delay it.

“I kept putting it off,” Jon says. “There was always work, farming or something else that seemed more important.”

Then, within two years, both of his parents died from cancer.

“It was a period of reflection,” he says. “I started thinking about what mattered and about the values Mum and Dad had instilled in me.”

Those values, combined with memories of Tihoi and its emphasis on challenge and service, pushed him to stop postponing the things he wanted to do.

Jon completed Te Araroa in 2022. He deliberately disconnected from technology for much of the journey, carrying only a basic phone, a diary and a Kindle.

“For months, my mind was in a really clear space,” he says. “Without all the distractions, you have conversations, you read books, you think, and you create your own entertainment.”

The experience also planted the seed for something bigger.

“I knew that if I had any hope of crossing Canada, it would have to be about more than just the challenge,” Jon says. “It needed to be something bigger and more important than me. That’s where I reflected on my values. It needed to be about service.”

Inspired by the legacy of Canadian cancer fundraiser Terry Fox, Jon set himself an extraordinary goal: run across Canada and raise money for children with cancer.

He began in St John’s, Newfoundland, in May 2023.

“It’s close to where the Titanic sank. Icebergs drift past the coastline,” he says. “When I got there, I realised pretty quickly I’d bitten off more than I could chew. It was cold, remote and far harsher than I’d imagined.”

Running unsupported, Jon pushed a stroller carrying his equipment and covered the equivalent of almost 200 marathons over nine months. He coordinated visits with children’s hospitals across the country, meeting young patients, speaking at schools and delivering gifts and merchandise to children receiving treatment.

“What moved me was meeting people who were having a hard time and seeing their spirits lifted,” he says. “Those moments took me straight back to why I was there. The hardships became irrelevant.”

The conditions changed dramatically as he crossed the country. Winter brought frozen eyelashes, heavy snow and brutal prairie winds. Summer arrived with temperatures above 30°C, and Jon traded his winter gear for loose clothing and a growing beard.

One of his strongest memories came while crossing the Canadian prairies.

“People kept telling me not to do it in winter. I was warned, ‘You’ll die on the prairies.’”

Despite the warnings, he pressed on.

“With the amount of running I was doing, I could eat pretty much anything I wanted,” he says. “I ate a lot of burgers.”

Along the way, he also discovered something unexpected. “Halfway through, I fell in love with the country.” Today, Canada is home to Jon.

When Jon finally reached Victoria on Canada’s Pacific coast, he completed a goal that had occupied his thoughts for years.

“It’s been so many days of just waking up and running,” he said after finishing. “To think that now the ocean carries on, but the land stops, it’s just surreal and unbelievable.”

For Jon, however, the finish line was never the point.

“The run was amazing,” he says. “But if people walk away remembering the cause and remembering the kids we were trying to help, then that’s what matters most.”

Video of Jon running here.

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