After running all the way from Oregon to Maryland to raise money and awareness for organizations that support veterans, a Morgantown man is going a little farther.
As he planned, former Marine Jamie Summerlin, 39, who is originally from Braxton County, reached Annapolis, Maryland in time for the July 4th holiday.
When he ran onto the U.S. Naval Academy grounds earlier this week, it wrapped up a 100 day trip that first started in March in Coos County, Oregon.
After participating in the Wednesday night Independence Day parade in Annapolis, though, Summerlin was hitting the road again.
"We’re going to really try to make it a great push to get that final support for our veterans and our wounded warrior organizations that we’re raising money for to really celebrate this journey and to celebrate the sacrifices of so many," he said Wednesday.
In the coming days, he’s going to cover the 100 miles between Annapolis and the Atlantic Ocean on foot. His new destination is Rehoboth Beach.
"I’m here. I made it to Annapolis. I completed my initial mission but, man, there’s still a little bit more to go and I don’t want to retreat from the finish," Summerlin said.
"I want to make sure that I’m there and we wrap this up in a great way and we complete exactly what I set out to do."
Summerlin has been making the trip with his wife, Tiffany, and their two children.
Along the way, he has run 3,352 miles, putting in six to eight hours of running a day and raised almost $45,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project and organizations like it.
You can find out more about his trip and support the last leg of Summerlin’s journey by going to www.runforwwp.com.