Trekking across country for a cause

David Chandler is running through Rome today as part of his 2,900-mile journey from California to North Carolina to raise money for kids with mental health and substance abuse issues to afford wilderness therapy.

Anyone spotting a man running while pushing a baby stroller through Rome today need not worry about his sanity — despite what some may have said — he is just finishing a trek he started over 2,000 miles west, on a pier etched into film history.

On Sept. 25, David Chandler, a native of North Carolina, began his 2,900-mile journey on the Santa Monica Pier in California. It’s the same place where Forrest Gump, in a movie by that name, looks out over the Pacific Ocean for a moment before deciding to just keep running.

After spending seven months as a tour guide, traveling around the U.S., Chandler left his last group in Los Angeles, close to the pier. He had the idea of running back home. And he decided to do it for a specific purpose — to provide kids with mental health and substance abuse issues the opportunity for wilderness therapy.

Just before 5 p.m. Monday, Chandler reached the Alabama-Georgia line, snapping a selfie of him hanging from the welcome sign. He joked that he has never taken so many selfies and he is running out of ideas. The photos are uploaded to his Instagram page, where he documents his journey and has a link to his donation page.

He is aiming to make it to Cary, North Carolina, before Christmas to be able to relax with his family. He is averaging 32 miles a day, including his slow start and rest days, but he has been hitting 40-mile days and last week he ran 300 miles.

His stroller contains all of his belongings, from his tent and camping supplies to packages of freeze-dried food.