Man runs 76 marathons in 76 days to raise patriotism awareness

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - 59-year-old Tom Jones is an ultra endurance athlete who is running a marathon every day for 76 days.

Jones is running in cities across the country from Alabama to Utah to raise awareness and funds to United We Pledge, a group dedicated to restoring children’s patriotism.

“Patriotism overall in the past at least 15 years that I’ve been sort of cognizant of has been kind of in decline, and maybe even under attack in our country,” Jones said.

The path is from one village in the east to a groundbreaking village in the west. The villages provide kids with a hands-on lesson with recreations of buildings that were instrumental in the Revolutionary War and the Constitution.

“They get to step on to the stage of American history and they get to become a part of the story and then all of a sudden they’re engaged,” Jones said. “It’s so important to me as a veteran to instill this patriotism in children because every country that I was deployed to didn’t have the freedoms that we have.”

Jones runs 26.2 miles everyday, through rain or shine, averaging eight hours per day.

“How bad do you want it and what are you willing to do to get it? And I think it’s a lot like the Founding Fathers country. What were they willing to preserve and get freedoms that we enjoy today?” Jones said.

When the thought of quitting comes to mind, Jones remembers his “why.”

“I hope that these kids will have patriotism reunited in their souls and that America will prosper and continue to be the place that we all love and enjoy,” Jones said.

Jones will be in Tyler Tuesday and Wednesday. After that, he’ll run his next marathon in Dallas.

For more information on Jones journey, click here.

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