UK man runs across USA to raise money for cancer charities
William Goodge, 28, of London is running more than 50 miles per day, from Los Angeles to New York City, in honor of his mother who died from cancer.
A man from across the pond is attempting to run across the United States — with a purpose.
William Goodge from London has set out to be the fastest British person of all time to run across America.
Goodge, 28, is currently running from Los Angeles, California, to New York City — a whopping 3,175-mile trek — with a goal of completing the course in less than 60 days.
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In an on-camera interview, the fitness influencer joined Fox News Digital from the road in Cambridge City, Indiana, on Monday, after completing yet another 50-mile day.
He shared that he’s "way ahead of the schedule," as he prepares to land in Manhattan's Central Park on May 27 since leaving Los Angeles on April 2.
William Goodge spends nights in a camper van pulled by his crew's truck. "I am really looking forward to having a normal bed," he said. (Reece Robinson)
Goodge isn’t doing this just for the fun of it. His miles-long efforts are to raise awareness and money for cancer charities in both the United Kingdom and the U.S. in tribute to his mother, Amanda Goodge, who lost her fight to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2018 after three separate battles with the disease.
"She was far stronger than I am."
At the time, when Goodge was just 23 years old, he admitted he had "every excuse" to throw his life away as he fought with the anger and sorrow that followed his mom’s passing.
Instead, he turned his frustration into motivation.
As he runs, Goodge listens to all genres of music, from hip-hop to jazz to heavy rock. "Music kind of rules my life," he said. (Reece Robinson)
"After she passed … I had this immense sense of making it mean something more than a sad story," he said.
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"I immediately had this sense of purpose, using all the negative emotion — I had a lot of pain, a lot of anger at the world — and channeling it into something positive."
Of all people to develop cancer in his family, Goodge said his mom seemed to be the least likely.
"She never smoked, hardly drank and ate well," he said. "It was a real kick in the teeth that it took her."
He added that his mother "remained so strong right up until the end," carrying on with Christmas festivities — decorating their tree and wrapping presents for family and friends — just 20 days before she passed.
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"She was far stronger than I am," he said. "If people think I’m strong for doing this, you’ve got no idea."
Goodge revealed that this run across America was "always the biggest thing" he could have imagined doing to honor his mother and many others battling cancer.
William Goodge hits the historic Route 66 in Vinita, Oklahoma, during his run across the country. (Reece Robinson)
"The way I look at it, whenever I’m in pain, which is actually most of the time, it's so insignificant [compared] to the pain that someone is going through when they're fighting for their life," he said.
"I’m choosing to be here, so taking that extra step is nothing compared to someone going through chemotherapy or fighting for their life," he said.
"It gives me a lot of strength."
A day on the open road
Goodge covers approximately 50 miles per day, making pit stops every six miles to meet up with his crew.
William Goodge (right, with white cap on) and mentor Robbie Balenger rest on the open road in the Mojave Desert, California. (Reece Robinson)
"When it’s such a big challenge, you have to break it down," he said. "I can never look too far ahead."
"All I’m thinking about is getting through those six miles," he continued. "I see my team, re-up on some water, have some food and then get out and do another six."
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Goodge has a "big break" between the 30-40 mile mark with a nap and lots of food.
On average, he takes in about 6,000 calories per day, he said.
"It makes me able to tackle that last part of the day without thinking it’s too much of a big task," he said. "That’s how we break it down into manageable pieces."
William Goodge, left, and his buddy Peter John share a beer after a day of running across the U.S. (Reece Robinson)
The last six miles of each day bring an "immense sense of calm," Goodge said, especially when he looks forward to having a beer after his last mile run each day.
He calls this the "beer mile," which usually involves a Modelo or other Mexican beers, as his Goodge's preference.
"It’s a celebratory thing," he said. "I’m out here for so long, you need those little things to look forward to along the way."
During his trek so far, Goodge said many Americans have stopped to run a few miles alongside him, specifically pointing out how America’s Navajo Nation was "really special" to him.
Goodge runs through Navajo Nation with a local, Jackie (on far right), who gave him a bracelet as a gift that he's still wearing to this day. (Reece Robinson)
"It seemed very calm," he said. "I felt like I was in a special place and the people embodied that as well."
He went on, "We never really learned about American history in my education, so getting to learn firsthand was a real honor. I really loved it there."
Support for the cause
Goodge said he drew "a lot of inspiration" from his chief of crew, Robbie Balenger of Colorado, who previously completed the cross-country run himself.
He also mentioned crew mates such as fellow Londoner Peter John, who’s known for "whipping up a storm of a meal"; filmmaker James Tregaskis, who captures Goodge on the move by strapping on a pair of rollerblades; and documentarian Reece Robinson.
Goodge enjoys a meal during a break, noting that he eats "a lot of everything." (Reece Robinson)
Goodge recently hit a unique milestone of being named the No. 1 user on the exercise mapping app, Strava, out of nearly 10 million users for logged miles running.
The athlete was previously a semi-professional rugby player before his mother passed.
"Emotion is energy."
He then took on running as a mode of therapy to deal with the loss, completing his first marathon on the Christmas Day after her death.
During that marathon, Goodge raised more than £20,000 — nearly $25,000 in U.S. dollars — for the British charity Macmillan Cancer Support, whose nurses took care of his mother.
"I instantly had this positive feedback for putting my body through hell … that it meant good things for a charity that was very close to my heart," he said.
Eight months later, Goodge ran across the length of the U.K. — 875 miles in 16 days — for the same cause, raising more than £100,000 (or over $124,000) for Macmillan.
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"I’m so grateful to them and everything they did and the support they gave us as a family," he said.
Goodge chose a similar charity in the U.S. — the American Cancer Society — to split funds raised between both countries "out of respect" for being in America.
Goodge is joined by his father, Graham Goodge (on the left), in Navajo Nation. (Reece Robinson)
"The American Cancer Society does cancer research as well, so we’re not just supporting those going through cancer. We’re also trying to raise money to ultimately eradicate it," he said.
Goodge's U.S. run has raised more than $50,000 for both charities so far.
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At the end of the challenge, he said he hopes to feel like he’s given it his all, "out of respect for the challenge" and those who are donating.
The athlete reiterated that "emotion is energy" — and encouraged others to remember that regardless of their struggle, "ultimately, you still have the control."
Goodge and his childhood friend, Josh Warner, run through Jasper County, Missouri. Goodge said he's gone through 12 pairs of sneakers, burning through left shoes more than right based on the downward pitch of the road while running toward traffic for safety. (Reece Robinson)
"Whatever you’re going through, good or bad stuff, just know that those emotions can be channeled toward something positive," he said.
Goodge continues to pull his "drive" and "purpose" from funds raised for the cause he’s most passionate about.
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Donations in any currency are being accepted at linktr.ee/williamgoodge.
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