Preston Barden, the father of nine and grandfather of eight, told his family he will be back home at Christmas. On June 20th, Barden began his walking odyssey to break the Guinness World Book Record for the fastest time crossing the US on foot for a round trip total of 5,900 miles. While he is doing this, he is asking for donations to benefit the National Children's Cancer Society -- and he hopes to raise $30 million dollars with his effort.
Barden, who began in New York City, said, "If I do the round trip I will be the first person to do the round trip, and then it will also be America's longest walk-a-thon."
Barden, a welder by trade and a martial arts instructor with four black belts, totes a 55-pound backpack with tokens of inspiration from those who have died of cancer. You can watch WGEM's video of the television interview they did with Barden here. For information on how to donate to the National Children's Cancer Society call Barden at 1-888-411-KIDS. For more information about Barden visit World Walkers.
1. I saw Preston Barden in Wichita, Kansas on August 30. He said hi to me at a gas station as I was leaving, and I wish I would have known at the time that he was walking across america for something great! Keep on walking and best of luck to ya!! :)
-Lana
Posted at 4:22PM on Aug 31st 2006 by Lana