Jon Beeby had a different type of trip in mind. It started in Long Beach, New York and ended at the Santa Monica Pier. His 3,152-mile journey was completed at a blistering pace of 88 days, on July 27, 2011.

The trail he chose was to maximize Route 66 as much as possible after reaching Chicago. Along the way he went through barrels of water with an enormous supply of food. Beeby burned about 8,000 calories a day and consumed 8,700 calories. At a peak heat of 117 degrees while crossing desert terrain he drank 14 liters of water per day.

His diet became a daily ritual. In the morning he’d have a five hundred calorie protein shake. After 10 miles he’d eat trail mix, rolled oats, honey, or corn flakes. For lunch he’d have five eggs, a pack of ham, a big can of baked beans, and tomatoes. An afternoon snack consisted of trail mix and a massive bowl of ice cream to keep his body temperature down. At dinner it was as much pasta as he could eat.

Beeby estimates that he ate nearly 700 grams of pasta in the evening with red sauce and meat in it. He didn’t eat any energy bars or drink Red Bull. Gatorade also stayed off his diet list.

Does this sound like it might get expensive? Well Remington, King of Shaves, and other sponsors picked up the tab of around $35,000. Yes that’s right walking across the country isn’t cheap. Beeby also brought an impressive team with him: a camera crew, personal trainer, sports therapist, and driver kept him going full speed. He didn’t even have to cook his own meals.

Still there was selflessness in this physical test. Tag Rugby Trust became a part of the equation when Beeby learned they were 100 percent efficient in allocating charitable donations to some of the poorest regions across the world.

He quit his job with a London-based media and events company due to a quarter life crisis, which he regularly talks about on his Fancy Sauce Show podcast. Then came the bet. He started a conversation with a friend one day about whether or not Forrest Gump’s walk was a Hollywood myth. After triumphantly stating he could do it, a friend tendered him a bet that he couldn’t. One conversation in a bar launched the challenge.

Beeby recalls his best night while crossing the U.S. One night while crossing the Mississippi his dad flew out to surprise him. Some cops stopped them to see what they were doing and after a small chat the officers asked them to wait a moment. After some time they returned with tickets to see a St. Louis Cardinals game. The big Archway to the west seemed to be calling him onward, and the fact that a near arrest turned into a free baseball game was quite a turn of events. He also recalls the last night of his trip he described as absolutely electric. He couldn’t wait to get done and have a beer as he had been sober for eight months.

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