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Patrick McGlade heads for the Atlantic to end his run. |
At 2:06 p.m. on April 23, 21-year-old Patrick McGlade of Aquia Harbour dashed across Tybee Island Beach near Savannah, Ga., through a cheering crowd of relatives, friends and well-wishers, and splashed into the Atlantic Ocean.
There he stopped, having run out of ground in a jog east that began 112 days and 2,551 miles before on the sands of Huntington Beach, Calif.
"It couldn't have gone any better," Patrick said. "The people I met out there were incredible."
The people "out there" had provided shelter and meals and companionship--he also was joined on parts of his run by fellow joggers. He averaged a marathon distance (26.2 miles) a day. He stopped off to speak to school groups, a glowing example of the healthy outdoor life. He ran most of the distance in shorts and went through five pairs of shoes.
"My tan is darker on my right side," he said with a laugh. "Since I was always running east, the sun was always on my right."
Patrick was running because he loves it. He has been a distance runner since college (he graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a major in marketing last December).
He also was running to raise money for the Arthritis Foundation and to raise awareness and resources for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. His goal is $50,000.
The foundation, in welcoming his support, suggested he not spend more than 30 percent of the money he raised on the expenses of his trip. As it was, he didn't spend a cent. The $20,000-plus raised so far will all go to the Arthritis Foundation.
People along Patrick's route--forewarned of his arrival by newspaper reports, local television or phone calls or e-mails from his father, Desi, who coordinated the operation from home --gave him meals and a bed for the night or a hotel/motel room.
On the infrequent nights that Patrick had to camp out, he had a tent and sleeping bag among the 70 pounds of gear in the jogging stroller he pushed ahead of him across nine states. The meals he was given lightened his load. He needed to eat 6,000 calories a day to make the run.
He spent his last night on the road at a hotel in Savannah and left at 11 a.m. the next day, joined by his brother, Kevin, 17, on the last 18.1-mile leg of his journey. They were joined by his sister, Colleen, 19, when they crossed the bridge onto Tybee Island, as well as by local TV cameras and a police escort. Patrick's family had driven down from Aquia Harbour for the finish.
Patrick and his family returned home over the weekend. Last Monday, he began sending out resumes to get a job.
"I was offered a lot of references from out there," he said, gesturing west, "while I was on the road."
Hugh Muir: 540/735-1975
Email: hmuir@freelancestar.com
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