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People On The Move - Jeff Grabosky
03/07/2012
Jeff Grabosky
Running For His Life
Jeff Grabosky completed an unforgettable journey in 2011 that took him over hills and valleys in California, across deserts and mountains in the southwest, through Midwestern dust storms, and up the eastern seaboard. Cross-country trips aren’t unusual for those in their mid-20s, but Grabosky’s three-month long excursion across the vast reaches of the United States wasn’t for sightseeing. He traipsed through the elements on foot, running 3,701.8 miles from Oceanside, CA to Smith Point, NY. The former Holmdel High School cross-country runner didn’t envision accomplishing this amazing feat when he competed in high school or at the intramural collegiate level. It took a series of tragic, life-altering events to set the run in motion.
“I majored in finance and theology at Notre Dame and landed a job with Progressive. I moved to Chicago and married,” Grabosky recalls. Then in October of 2006, he flew home because his mother was dying from cancer. His wife called him the day of the funeral to tell him she didn’t want to be married anymore. “I was overwhelmed with emotion,” he says, and spent the subsequent months unsuccessfully searching for an apartment. Soon he was homeless, living out of his car despite being employed full-time. “Difficult as things were, I turned to my faith and felt there were greater plans,” he says.
Grabosky moved to the Washington D.C. area, lived with his sister Kristina until she got married, and then lived with his brother Dave. “My sister pushed me towards running again and I remembered how much I loved it.” Grabosky enrolled in a marathon in 2008 when tragedy struck again. Just before the race, he suffered a collapsed lung twice. “I spent a week in ICU. Doctors never said so, but I felt my running days were over.”
He persevered through rehab and once he was able to run without pain, signed up for a 100-mile race. After completing it, Grabosky was at a crossroads. Dave was getting married. “My parents should’ve had another child I could room with,” he jokes. “I didn’t have many commitments, so I left my job at Potomac River Running, a specialty running store, and moved in with family in Manalapan. I thought as big as I could. I can’t pinpoint when I first thought about running across the country, but that period in my life was the perfect time.”
Grabosky spent five months training and planning the run, which he calls ‘a logistical nightmare.’ He plotted a route that allowed him stops to replenish his supplies, which he pushed in an 80-pound baby jogger. He started jeffrunsamerica.com to build support, not financially, but in prayer requests. “I thought about raising money for cancer research, but didn’t want to alienate anyone who might be struggling. During the run, I said a decade of the rosary for anyone who sent me a prayer request to help them through their situation. It had a phenomenal response - about 3,500 requests.”
From Jan 20 to March 20, Grabosky navigated the various terrains of the US for 19 hours each day, often sleeping in tents or motels. The scariest moment of his journey occurred when he encountered a mountain lion near the Colorado River. “It was the most muscular thing I’d ever seen. I had pepper spray and a knife, but thankfully it continued toward the river for a drink.”
Grabosky purposely planned the run from west to east so he would run toward his family, and once he finally arrived near D.C., battered by a series of dust and rain storms, he needed a five-day respite due to a bulging disk in his back. “I had to crawl up the stairs. But I was so close... I didn’t care if I needed crutches; I was going to finish.”
After healing, Grabosky finished the last leg of the journey and met up with about 25 family members and friends at the ocean in Long Island. “I was completely overjoyed and inspired. I’m not the same person who left the Pacific. I feel more compassion towards others, which I attribute to the prayers.”
Grabosky currently lives in Arizona, works as an instructional assistant for a 3rd grade class and is writing a book about his experiences. “I’m not sure exactly what’s next, but I love working with kids,” he says. No matter what lies ahead for Grabosky, you can bet he’ll persevere toward his goals and pound the pavement to get to where he needs to go. “As long as life keeps coming, I’ll keep running.”
STATS
FAVORITE RESTAURANT
Brothers’ Pizza, Red Bank
FAVORITE MUSIC
Eric Church, Bruce Springsteen
FAVORITE MOVIE
“Without Limits”
PET PEEVE
People who quit
THREE PEOPLE YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE DINNER WITH
Pope John Paul II
Ryan Hall
Mom
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