He’s run across the country and every continent of the world, and he’ll soon graduate from middle school.

While running marathons with his father, Unionville’s Nikolas Toocheck has raised nearly $50,000 for blindness prevention and opened his own eyes to what life is really about.

“I’m in awe of him,” said his mother, Tara, in a Daily Local News report by Bill Rettew Jr. “I’ve watched this little boy become a man. He’s learning his life skills, and his character is developing. He’s recognized that the world isn’t about him, and he’s realized the impact he can make.”

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Since age 9, the now-14-year-old Patton Middle Schooler has competed in marathons in all 50 states and all seven continents with his dad, Dan.

“There’s all different cultures and all kinds of races. I got to meet a lot of different people,” he said. “It’s not every day you’re running and you see penguins on the course.”

Maybe best of all, though, the father and son get to run together.

“I love the father-son bonding,” Toocheck said. “Being together is really awesome.”

Read more of the young marathoner’s story in the Daily Local News here.

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