The 2000 Mile Run

Jimmy Bruch

Residents of Austin may be unaware, but our city is the destination of three men on an incredible mission. On September 3, Scott Jenkins, Rusty Tolliver and Rhys Jenkins left Boston, Massachusetts on a race to raise awareness for their favorite charities. When the race is over, the men will have run 2,000 miles collectively.

For Rusty Tolliver, 24, the journey is a trip home. An Austin native, he is running to raise money for Young Texans Against Cancer. Scott and Rhys Jenkins, brothers from Wales, are running to benefit the British Help Foundation and Help the Heroes, respectively. The men have raised around $2,500 for their charities, but hope that more publicity will raise the total to as much as $375,000.

The men are each running the equivalent of a marathon a day until they reach Austin. You can read about the experience on their blog, 2000milerun.com, and on Twitter by following @2000milerun. The last tweet places the men in Kentucky, which means they’ve run through New York City, Pennsylvania and Ohio so far. Next on the list? Tennessee and Arkansas, all the way to Austin.

The anticipated arrival date is November 27. If they complete the run, they’ll break the record for most marathons run. The record currently stands at 52 marathons in 52 days; the men aim to complete 75 in 75. I’d say a warm Austin welcome is in order.

Thanks to Karla Bruning at Washingtonpost.com.