Sports
VIDEO: Running Duo Starts Cross-Country Journey at Jones Beach
Wantagh resident Adam Clark and his former Adelphi cross county teammate Jeffrey Perez kick off coast-to-coast journey for charity.
Imagine running a marathon. Now imagine running two a day for 60 consecutive days. That is the expedition two former Adelphi University cross country runners have begun.
Early Saturday morning, and his past Adelphi teammate Jeffrey Perez began their journey to join the 225 individuals in history who have documented a coast-to-coast run, according to usacrossers.com. The coast-to-coast run, which is expected to last three months, kicked off at Jones Beach in Wantagh.
“We thought about this idea five months ago on a casual practice run,” said 23-year-old Perez. “One thing led to another and this just became one really big thing that we’re glad we actually ended up doing.”
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With such little preparation time, the two decided to run in honor of the charities they each support.
“We started planning when an unfortunate circumstance happened in my life; my cousin was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer,” said the 22-year-old Clark, a graduate. “She actually had the courage to start a foundation in her name called ‘Shannon’s Fight’ and I thought it was a great idea to help raise money for that foundation on this trip.”
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While Clark is running for his cousin, Perez decided to run for ‘Global Kids,’ a non-profit organization aimed to educate youth on global learning and youth development.
“It was an after school program that I was involved in during high school and I feel really passionate about,” said Perez. “It actually motivated me to pursue college even further and taught me that there’s more out there to experience.”
The duo won’t have to endure this trek alone. They will be accompanied by two friends driving along side, Ian Leavitt and James Eastman.
“I don’t really know what to expect,” said Eastman, a Massapequa resident. “The only thing we can expect are some really uncomfortable nights in burning hot weather in the desert or really cold weather in the mountains.”
To track the Perez and Clark’s progress or donate go to www.TheTCProject.com.
