That's how it's done!
This New Jersey man just completed what I am dubbing the Forest Gump Challenge, and did so for a very good cause, walking across the entire US continent to raise money for veterans!
From Fox:
Tommy Pasquale of Randolph, New Jersey, successfully walked from the Atlantic to the Pacific – nearly 3,000 miles – in 143 days.
Pasquale gave himself the goal of trekking from Manasquan, New Jersey, to Venice Beach, California, to raise money and awareness for America's homeless veterans.
I just love it! Tommy Pasquale is a name so Italian that it's also 100% American.
This dude loves his country and loves our vets.
Pasquale has several veterans and active-duty military in his own circle, as Fox News Digital previously reported.
Since completing his trip, he's raised nearly $97,935 for the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, headquartered in Washington, D.C., Pasquale told Fox News Digital in an interview.
That's just 2 grand short of $100,000 since Fox published the story.
(Maybe our readers will help him hit that milestone!)
"I have nothing but respect and reverence for what [veterans] do for this country," he said.
"And just the thought of them coming home [after their service] and being homeless doesn't sit right with me," he said.
Pasquale, who turned 25 years old on Feb. 13, finally set foot on Venice Beach on Feb. 17.
There, he was met by his friends and family at his "finish line."
"I hate to admit it, but I may have gotten a little emotional," he said. "I felt very accomplished. I felt very relieved."
The nearly five-month journey took less time than Pasquale expected; he initially predicted he'd make it to California by April.
Toward the end of his journey, he was walking 25 to 30 miles per day with fewer rest days in between, he said.
Pasquale burned through 10 pairs of shoes on his trek.
He listened to Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and the Will Cain podcast from Fox throughout his journey.
Like a real American.
He also kept a copy of Teddy Roosevelt's "The Man in the Arena" which he read whenever he got down, and it encouraged him to keep going.
This dude is 100% patriot.
"We live in the greatest country in the world," he said. "We definitely have our problems, but we definitely have it good here."
He continued, "The more we're able to get along with each other and help one another out, the better off we'll all be."
Now that Pasquale is nestled back into "normal" life in New Jersey, he plans to write a book using the journal entries he kept during his walk along the open road.
Donations for veterans can still be made at GoFundMe and the Tommy Walks America info page at linktr.ee/tommy_pasquale.
