Man runs across the country for veterans

Accompanied by his mom, Judy, and sister, Elliot, Drew Miller is running across the country to raise money for the Wounded Warriors Project. He began April 1 at Long Beach, Calif., and will finish in late August in his hometown of Spencer, W.Va.

After Drew Miller saw a friend of his come home from Iraq wounded, he came to a conclusion few men would.

The 32-year-old Spencer, W.Va., native decided to run almost coast to coast to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project.

Stopping at the Nevada Daily Mail Friday after jogging down U.S. 54 from Fort Scott, Kan., Miller reported covering 1,540 miles in 77 days since leaving Long Beach, Calif.

Accompanied by his mom, Judy, and sister, Elliot, he had had trouble maintaining his goal of 20 miles a day in the Arizona and New Mexico mountains and in the summertime heat of Kansas.

"I weighed 262 pounds when I started training in January and was at 217 when I started the run April 1," said Miller, a former four sport high school letterman whose exertions have slimmed him to 185.

He runs 4-1/2 hours a day four days a week, stopping every five miles at a van driven by his mom for water and snacks. "I don't walk any of it," he said.

"I'll run the entire 2,400 miles and should finish around Aug. 25 in Spencer. My friend was severely wounded in 2005 and the Wounded Warrior Project helped him a lot. It's a great organization that provides financial assistance to soldiers and their families and helps the soldiers get acclimated by taking them on fishing and hunting trips.

"My dad and granddad were in the military. I never had the stuff to do that and now I'm trying to thank them for it."

Miller has raised $5,000 for the Jacksonville, Fla.-based Wounded Warriors and takes contributions at his "Long Road Home" dmrun.blogspot.com.

His mom, a retired teacher, had become concerned about his health when he was advertising manager for his hometown Roane County Reporter. He took a 2002 sports management degree at West Virginia University.

"I was relieved that Drew decided to do something like this," said Judy Miller, whose husband, an accountant, has spent time with them on the road. "He needed a jumpstart so badly."

Drew is still rotating the five pair of shoes he began with, though a couple are almost worn out -- Nike Pegasus and Livestrongs, two sets of Brooks Running Shoes and a pair of Asics.

"This is the perfect time in my life to do this," said Miller, who isn't married. "I always wanted to do something crazy and it qualifies. The only reason I will be able to complete it is that I'm too stubborn to quit."