GREENACRES, Fla. — Brian Thomas is recording his running experience to share with his students in a Google classroom. He is on a 1,000-mile run.
The middle school science teacher says his goal is to run from Arizona to Montana to raise funds for people affected by COVID-19.
"Even those not directly affected by COVID. So, you know, small business owners. I also wanted to do care packages for heroes. I'm going to start with people where I live," Thomas says.
He's no stranger to running for a cause.
He's trained to run from Florida to Michigan and to Washington D.C.
He tries to run between 22 to 28 miles a day.
"I've been fantasizing about some rainbow trout over an open fire. It can't be an open fire because it's really dry here. But it will be something and then some rattlesnake hunting," he says.
The long trek has its challenges. His running shoes are falling apart and he likes to take breaks to "regenerate his toes". But for him they're not setbacks after he beat melanoma stage 4 cancer. His sense of humor pushes him to stay focused on his running.
"I'll be going through Pine, Arizona and Strawberry, Arizona, which my motivation is ice cream. So in Strawberry there's the best Superman ice cream which is my favorite," he says.