WASHINGTON -
To say that Albie Masland has been doing a lot of running lately, is an understatement.
Albie laced-on a pair of running shoes in Dana Point, California on St. Patrick's Day. Since then, he has run all the way across the United States to his target city: Washington, D.C.
He started clean-shaven, but now sports a ragged beard.
While Albie jogged on the sidewalk alongside Wisconsin Avenue, late Saturday morning, we asked: what was the hardest part of the cross-country run?
"Flagstaff, Arizona was close to 7,000 feet [in elevation]. So, that was a little difficult," answered Masland. "Going through Western Pennsylvania, though, you're going up and down 2,000 foot mountains. So, that sort of wears on you after a while."
Why decide to take more than half a year to run across the country? "I had been running a lot at that time to sort of channel my energy, clear my head. And, I figured if I could find a way to sort of drive that all into one bigger run across the country (with a larger purpose attached to it) then I would really find a lot of reward."
So, Albie Masland decided to run to raise money for the Travis Manion Foundation, named after a U.S. Marine killed in 2007 during his second tour in Iraq. The $40,000 or so that Masland will raise will help support familes of the fallen, as well as character and leadership seminars aimed at young people.
Masland chose to end his fund-raising run at the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial, the enormous statue based on the famous photograph of Marines raising the American flag after their tough victory over Japanese forces on the island of Iwo Jima.
Gathered friends and family started applauding when Masland jogged into sight.
Does it hurt to literally run across the country? Masland says it does hurt. "You know, you have to, like, push through, because I'm doing this for those who sacrifice a whole lot."
Albie Masland says he'll take a couple of days off, then add a new leg to his trip: early next week he will run from D.C. to the Delaware Coast. That way, he will have run all the way from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean.
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