The Morgantown man who ran across the United States last year to raise money and awareness for organizations that support veterans, including the Wounded Warrior Project, tells the story of his run in a new book.
Jamie Summerlin’s Freedom Run: A 100-Day, 3,453-Mile Journey Across America to Benefit Wounded Veterans is now available nationally.
“There’s some tremendous stories of amazing people, some incredible communities that we ran through. It’s just a great opportunity to get their stories out and share the journey that we experienced,” Summerlin said.
Summerlin, a 40-year-old Marine, started running in Coos Bay, Ore, on March 12, 2012 and ended in Rehoboth Beach, Del., last July. He marked the July 4 holiday on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Academy.
He made the trip with his wife, Tiffany, and their two children, Nicholas and Shayna, along for support.
“It’s a labor of love. It’s one that I’m very passionate about,” Summerlin said of his work on behalf of veterans.
“The people we did this for, the men and women who serve our country so bravely every single day and have served in the past, we wanted to just honor them.”
Former POW Jessica Lynch, a Wirt County resident, wrote the foreword to Summerlin’s book.
On May 11, Summerlin will host the first book signing event for Freedom Run at Barnes & Noble at the University Town Center in Morgantown. The event starts at 4 p.m.
This past weekend, Summerlin was in Arizona to take the Rim 2 Rim 2 Rim running challenge at Grand Canyon National Park.