On July 4, 2004 I plan to set out from New York City and run across this great land all the way to LA! I plan on averaging 20-30 miles of running per day until I reach the West Coast--approximately 3,300 miles. I would like to complete the run in no more than 5 months. Please view my complete itinerary for a (tentative) overview of the run and list of cities I'll be running through! If I'm running through your neck of the woods I sure hope you'll come out and say HEY!
As I run across the country I will need a support vehicle and driver to serve as a "pilot" of sorts. After doing some research this past summer I stumbled upon Nick Baldock who ran across the United States in 1999. Nick lives in England, but thanks to the Internet, Nick has been able to serve as a consultant to me on the run. He has been extremely helpful in answering my myriad of questions and doling out great advice. As a long shot I asked him if his "support drivers" would be interested in doing the same for me. Luckily for me one of his drivers, Dave Boatman, agreed to do it! All I hav
e to do is fly him over from England. Though I have never met Dave in person we have spoken a few times, and he comes with Nick's referral. I can't wait to meet Dave. Dave is a cowboy at heart and is planning on settling in California at the conclusion of the run. A special THANK YOU to Dave and Nick without whom this run would not be possible.
MY STORY
My story (or how this run came to be): You may be thinking to yourself, "Why the heck would anyone in their right mind want to run across America?" I don't have any clear answer per se, maybe I'm not in my right mind, but this much I know . . .
Two years ago I watched in awe as two of my closest friends, Ben and Brian, set off to bike across America -- I'll never forget them riding off into the "sunset" (and having to turn around and go back to work). After
listening to their stories from the road when they got back I wished I could have joined them. However, since I don't particularly like biking that didn't make much sense to me. The one thing I am passionate about is running. That's when the idea to run across America first popped in my head.
I have not always been a runner, nor am I currently any type of super-athlete. I'm just a regular guy who loves to run. Five years ago when I graduated from college I weighed nearly 250 pounds! Like my favorite T-shirt said, "the only exercise I get is running to the fridge." At this point in my life I realized that I had to do something about my weight, not only to feel better about myself, but for my health. I have some history of diabetes in my family and didn't want that for myself. So I figured what better way to lose weight than run? I started very slowly, barely making it to the end of my street in suburban Buffalo, NY. I knew I was on to something special right off the bat though. I always felt great after my runs and would make time whenever I could to run a little (and back then it was very little).
Then a funny thing happened: I started to lose weight! Once a little weight came off I became excited and started changing my eating habits little by little (switching to diet pop was a huge step!). I had never really paid attention to what I ate and for the first time I was becoming aware of what I put in my body and making a conscious effort to eat healthier. In the Fall of 1998 I moved to Washington, DC. This move provided a tremendous boost to my running regimen.
I have to believe that Washington is one of the finest cities for running in the country. Late night runs on the Mall became (and still are) one my favorite activities. I also joined the DC Road Runners Club which provided great guidance. Most of the time however I run by myself -- I find it to be very therapeutic. A good (or even bad) run always seems to put everything in perspective.
As I continued running the weight continued to come off and by the Summer of 2000 I was down to 170'ish pounds and preparing for my first marathon. I ran the Richmond Marathon in November 2000! I have run a total of six marathons to date. As my times attest I'm not breaking any speed records here . . .
Marathon
Date
Time
Richmond, VA
Fall 2000
4:12:00
Burlington, VT
Spring 2001
3:58:23
Niagara Falls, ON
Fall 2001
4:11:43
Washington, DC
Spring 2002
3:45:30
Philadelphia, PA
Fall 2002
3:35:09
Buffalo, NY
Spring 2003
3:38:22
As I continued running my weight continued to drop. I reached my current weight of 155-160 about two years ago and have maintained it ever since. This past summer, with my zest for running as strong as ever, I came to the realization that I had to stop talking about running across America and finally do something about it. I had been thinking about what a great experience it would be for a long time, but had done nothing to make it happen.
With some encouragement from my friends, I approached the American Diabetes Association about the idea in July and they were very receptive.
