In October, Bobby Marble found out he had a lot more to worry about - Leukemia.

"Why me?" Marble said from his hospital bed at Children's Hospital Colorado.

He had been undergoing chemotherapy, wishing he was back on the track with his teammates.

"There's a lot of good friends in track," said Marble. "I definitely miss it."

Saturday afternoon, his Track Coach Devin Rourke along with a group of parents organized a Relay for Life event to raise money for Marble's family and for the track team.

"We call it the Marble Relay," Rourke said. "Every mile you run, you pick a marble."

Around 150 students, parents, and friends signed up to run from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Saturday. They placed a marble in a counter to signify every mile they ran.

"I bought 1,200 of them and we've gone through them already," said Rourke. "So, as a team we've run over 1,200 miles."
And, they've raised $15,000 even though their goal was $10,000.

"It's a really good thing to do to support Bobby Marble," said Lexi Llerandi, a freshman runner who did about 24 miles. "I think it's really great that this many people came."

Sam Patzer and John Garrels each ran 32 miles.

"It's been pretty fun," said Patzer, a junior. "We're gonna finish the last lap with Bobby."

Marble came out for the last hour of the event. He was met with hugs, cheers, and led the entire group around the track for the final mile. He walked. He just got out of the hospital on Thursday.

"It means so much to me, just thank you so much," Marble said.

They finished the night by turning the lights off at the stadium and circling the track with glow sticks. Marble says it's just all overwhelming.
"I can't believe this. I don't know what to say," said Marble. "It's not just the track. It's being here with everyone."

 

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