A Marine veteran is making his way across America, running more than 22 miles every day and hiking the rest of it. Shane Johnson started with a goal of walking more than 3,000 miles from Florida to California. But that wasn’t enough for him so he started to run the route. And then added marathons on top of that.
“I had a choice. You can give up, which will be easy, or you can fight, which will be hard,” said Shane Johnson. “Right then, I made the choice that the fight, the challenge was the best part.”
Johnson was a Marine Corp veteran. After he left the service, he went into the banking industry. But in 2008, his business was hit by the recession and he ended up homeless.
Now he’s traveling more than 3,000 on foot to challenge homeless military veterans and other to be the best version of themselves.
“My approach is not the victim approach, it’s the victor approach. You can choose which one you want to be,” Johnson said.
Johnson has a tough approach to helping others. But wants to inspire people across America.
“I wake up at 3 a.m., I run 22 miles, I still Facetime with my daughter. And I still run three businesses. All in the same day you have. If I can do all that, you can get to the gym, you can be exceptional at the job, you’re just choosing not to,” said Johnson.
Every step Johnson takes in his journey helps inspire others to start theirs.
“We dictate our success and our levels,” said Johnson. “Sometimes like in the military we need that boot in the back and I hope that’s what I’m doing.”
On the trip, Johnson is also passing out hygiene kits that are focused on helping homeless veterans. He arrived in Lubbock this morning and is heading toward Amarillo.
