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Home > About Us > Press Room > Press Releases > 6 men, 8 weeks, 3,350 miles across America Running coast to coast to raise $1.5million for charity
6 men, 8 weeks, 3,350 miles across America Running coast to coast to raise $1.5million for charity
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6 men, 8 weeks, 3,350 miles across America Running coast to coast to raise $1.5million for charity
9/9/2010
 
Contact: Lucy Ellis 917-932-6155 / +44 (0) 7507 833 137
Email: lucy@ktbpr.com / sam@ktbpr.com
For Immediate Release

 
6 men, 8 weeks, 3,350 miles across America
Running coast to coast to raise $1.5million for charity

 

On September 10th 2010, six very special men from three of the world’s finest fighting forces, including a US Marine will attempt to run coast to coast across America to raise funds for injured service men and women on both sides of the Atlantic. The team will run across 16 States, 4 time zones and complete approximately 20 miles a day each, for 8 weeks. One of the team is a triple amputee.


The Gumpathon hopes to raise $1.5million for the US Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund and British charities Help for Heroes, the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund

The team will set off from the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, NYC at 0800 where Country and Western artist Matt Steel will be performing the track that he penned to help motivate the team, aptly named Keep Running. They aim to arrive in Santa Monica on November 11th.

This epic challenge is the brain-child of Colour Sergeant Damian Todd, Royal Marines who, after watching the film Forrest Gump in 1994 thought that running across America seemed like an interesting idea.  After ten years of thinking about it, in 2007 Damian found a reason to put his plan into action when a close friend Mark Ormrod was left with serious permanent disability following his tour in Afghanistan. Mark became the first triple amputee of the war in Afghanistan and has recently published a book about his experiences, ‘Man Down’.  Mark will be running alongside the team and completing what mileage he can, despite his injuries.

The US Marine joining the team is Gunnery Sergeant Charles ‘Chunks’ Padilla. Chunks describes himself as a Marine that's always looking for new extreme challenges.  He has been in the United States Marine Corps for over 28 years serving with various United States Marine Corps Reconnaissance units for the last 22 years. 

Media are invited to attend the launch. There will be a press call on the flight deck of USS Intrepid at 0700.
Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, One Intrepid Square, 46th Street & 12th Avenue, NY 10036.
If you wish to attend please call 917-932-6155 or +44 (0)7507 833 137 or email
lucy@ktbpr.com / sam@ktbpr.com

For further info visit www.thegumpathon.com
Text to donate: simply text GUMP to 50555*

Editors Notes:

US Patrons to The Gumpathon include General Al Gray USMC (Ret), 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps and Chairman of the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund. Other patrons of The Gumpathon include Major General Gary Robinson, Chief of Staff Capability, Royal Marines, General Sir Richard Dannatt, Former Chief of the General Staff and now Governor of the Tower of London.

Text to donate:
*$10 will be added to your mobile phone bill/ deducted from your prepaid account.  Message and Data Rates May Apply.  Reply STOP to 50555 to stop. Full Terms: mGive.org/T.

Run Schedule
The Gumpathon team will be in or near the following town and cities on these dates:


New York, NY     
10 Sep
Trenton, NJ and Philadelphia, PA       11 Sep
Wilmington, NC  12 Sep
Annapolis, MD 13 Sep
Washington, DC     14 Sep
Quantico, VA   15 Sep
Charlottesville, VA      17 Sep
Goshen, VA     19 Sep
Charleston, WV         21 Sep
1000 Mile Mark 27 Sep
Nashville, TN        29 Sep
Lexington, KY    2 Oct
Memphis, TN      4 Oct
Little Rock, AR   6 Oct
Fort Smith, AR   8 Oct
Oklahoma City, OK & HALF WAY   10 Oct
2000 Mile Mark 14 Oct
Amarillo, TX 15 Oct
Bovina, TX        16 Oct
Fort Summer, TX        17 Oct
Albuquerque, NM    20 Oct
Tuba City, AZ       25 Oct
Grand Canyon, AZ   26 Oct
3000 Mile Marker   31 Oct
Las Vegas, NV 1 Nov
Boulder City, NV      2 Nov
29 Palms & Joshua Tree, CA       6 Nov
San Bernardino, CA    9 Nov
Los Angeles, Hollywood & Santa Monica 11 Nov