PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Pennsylvania native Andrew Linder is doing the impossible. He's running an over 3,000-mile journey across the United States to raise awareness for human trafficking while wearing a 15-pound weight vest.
"In raising money for charity I needed to do something that was going to captivate a lot of people and that’s where the decision came to run across America," said Linder. "That’s also where the decision came to run with a 15-pound weight vest and do something that no one's ever done before."
Linder started his journey in California and will finish in New York. He's running for the non-profit Sister Rising Worldwide which helps try to combat human trafficking.
"I wanted to go after the worst people on the planet and I identified them as sex and human traffickers people who exploit different people," said Linder. "I wanted to raise money for a charity and it was really a no-brainer."
One of Linder's stops will be through central Pennsylvania, a place where his best friend and Dallastown head football coach Levi Murphy will support him on his journey.
"He's made me smile a lot knowing what he's doing," said Murphy. "Sharing with my students in class, sharing it with our players, it's awesome to see that success and, of course, when your best friend does something awesome you want to be there to cheer him on."
The two played football together at East Stroudsburg University. Linder plans to complete his run on May 18 and has raised almost $80,000 so far.
"I just can't wait to celebrate what I did for charity," said Linder. "It's going to mean the world to me.