Tony Brown ran the first — and last — race of his cross country season Wednesday at Blackburn Park in Webster Groves. He finished 100th.

The thing is, he finished.

With a smile, he declared, "It sucked. But it was really good."

The race was Tony's first since his freshman year at St. Mary's, three seasons ago. Since then, he has dealt with round after round of chemotherapy and radiation in a battle with leukemia.

"I think running and the team have helped him physically and mentally," his mother, Gail, said. "He knows that the chemo and leukemia haven't stopped him. He's never said, 'Mom, I can't do this.' He never gave up."

The long road back isn't the first that Tony and Gail have traveled together. The pair met three days after Tony's birth in Bolivia, where Gail was volunteering as a lay teacher with the Sisters of the Most Precious Blood. Tony was awaiting adoption, and during the search for a suitable family, Gail became one of his caregivers, taking him to classes "and everywhere I went. We kind of bonded, so I decided to go for it."

Nine months and miles of red tape later, the pair became a family.

Fast-forward 14 years to the day Tony said he wanted to join the cross country team.

"I was surprised, because he never really was fast," Gail said. "I thought, 'Why not basketball?' But I think he liked to run, and I think he liked the team."

A nagging winter cold led to several rounds of tests in February 2007, when doctors diagnosed leukemia. Between the hospital stays and weekly spinal taps, the team rallied around Tony. Some shaved their heads in a show of unity; all worked a fund-raiser to help the Browns pay medical bills.

One round of treatment in the summer of 2007 caused brain toxicity, which paralyzed Tony temporarily. The setback limited his attendance at school his sophomore year and kept him from running at all, but he returned to the team his junior year, hoping to compete. His bones were too weak from the chemotherapy to take the strain of the workouts, though, and he suffered a foot injury that kept him from practicing, much less running.

"But he came to practice every day and was very much a part of the team," coach Bob Bante said. Tony became an unofficial assistant coach, tending to timekeeping and gathering motivation.

"When I saw them run, I'd say, 'I want to do that again,'" Tony said.

Bante has never used Tony's struggle and perseverance as part of an inspirational speech.

"I didn't need to," Bante said. "They see him here every day. They know."

But the team's bonds have grown stronger through Tony's recovery. His best friend is Joel Lindquist, who happens to be St. Mary's fastest runner.

"When I tell people about him, I compare him to Lance Armstrong," Lindquist said. "But Tony's had it harder because he was younger. Now he's doing the hardest (endurance) high school sport, not just shooting hoops or something like that."

Not that they spend a lot of time on analysis or gloom and doom. The pair dressed as bananas for the homecoming dance because, Lindquist said, "We didn't have dates, and we want to be remembered."

"I'm not always thinking about it," Lindquist said of his friend's illness and recovery. "But you feel it, deep down, and it keeps you going, especially in a race."

A series of minor injuries hampered Tony's training this season, and it took him until a few weeks ago to get to the point where he could run 3.1 miles.

"I told Coach, 'If it hurts, I'll just suck it up and run through the pain,'" he said.

Gail remembered the camera, which she forgot for every freshman meet, but was too busy cheering to take many pictures. His teammates gathered after the final turn, cheering him to the finish, but they gave him some space to celebrate quietly at the line with his mom and best friend.

"I still get tired easily. I lost a lot of muscle," he said. "But I really wanted to do this. I had to tell myself to do it so I could start feeling like my normal self."

Tony's journey to wellness isn't over. His treatments continue, once a month, until June. But Wednesday, he moved 3.1 miles closer to the end. He finished the race.