Brock University men’s rower Jacob Thomas is always up for a challenge. The St. Catharines resident is a strong supporter of giving back to the community.

For 24 hours from 7 a.m. March 18 to 7 a.m. March 19, Thomas is challenging himself as a way to give back.

By Friday afternoon, he was on pace to break the individual 24-hour world record for lightweight men ages 20-29.

The 22-year-old Economics major is looking to break the old record held by James Campbell of the United Kingdom who rowed 271, 897 meters from December 26-27, 2014.

Thomas began Friday outside the Ian Beddis Gymnasium at Brock and will finish Saturday morning. He is looking to break the record in memory of Clarence Blakely (1958-2015), his girlfriend’s late father, with all proceeds raised going to the Canadian Cancer Society.

Blakely was the front store manager at Shoppers Drug Mart in St. Catharines for 14 years. He loved his year-round golf, his Blue Jays and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Blakely was also an avid leader in fundraising, and was always thinking of others. 

This past summer Thomas rowed across Lake Ontario in support of the SickKids Foundation. After accomplishing his 50-km row and through his community involvement with ‘Strokes for SickKids’, Jacob was named the Row Ontario DSA Peak Athlete of the Month in August.