Friday, October 2, 2020

I Did Not Give Away The Stroller I Pushed Across America

Today, I read an article in the Delaware Cape Gazette that contained some details about my coast-to-coast run... and some inaccurate information. It was written by a Lewes, Delaware resident and I sent an e-mail today to get some of the statements in that article corrected. In today's original article, the writer stated: "...he averaged 30 miles a day pushing an 80-pound stroller named Bob. I still have Bob. Paul gave it to me as a keepsake of the challenge." That is NOT true! The BOB stroller that I pushed across America in 2006 (and as shown in the accompanying photo) is the same one that I pushed across Montana in 2008; Alaska in 2009; Germany in 2010; and the Mojave Desert in 2011. In fact, click this link to read about the stroller being in my attic

In all honesty, there are times when I really wish that I wouldn't have made that promise and run across America in 2006. Over the past 14 years I've seen inaccurate and/or misleading information -- and sometimes direct lies -- about my 3,260-mile, 15-state run from the Pacific to the Atlantic. I personally paid thousands of dollars to do that run -- to keep a promise I had made to 97 elementary children -- and missed an entire summer with my four children, who are now adults and live hundreds (and in some cases, thousands) of miles away from me. In fact, only one of the school children that I kept that promise to has communicated with me since the 2006 run -- and the last contact was nearly 9 years ago.

For 108 days I hurt, bled and cried my way across the country. No fame or riches came from it, and none was sought. There are no documentaries about it, no books dedicated to it, and no awards as a result of completing it. I simply ran to keep my word, and I nearly died 7 times in the process. Was it all truly worth it? There are days when I really wonder. Regardless, I still have BOB... that stroller I got in May 2006 and pushed across the United States, Montana, Alaska, Germany, and the Mojave Desert. Its wheels are pretty worn -- similar to my legs -- and now gathers dust in a dark attic. Together, that stroller and I achieved some running adventures that many said were uncommon, unfathomable and unprecedented. You won't find my name in any record books or the stroller in the Smithsonian Museum. And, I'm okay with that.

At the end of the day, a man's character boils down to his faith and his integrity. I'm determined to go to the grave with both.

From Him, Through Him, For Him (Romans 11:36),

Paul J. Staso
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Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek

Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos: