SAN DIEGO — A San Diego man is preparing to run ten half marathons in ten cities in seven weeks while driving from place to place in an RV. In this Zevely Zone, I went to Balboa Park to preview a "Road trip of Running" that honors the survivors of suicide loss.
34-year-old Shane Brown shares a typical San Diego story, until 2019 when his mother took her own life.
"I grew up in OB, like elementary school and then we moved out to Clairemont right when I started middle school," said Shane.
Shane teared up when he told me about the loss of his mother.
"She suffered from bipolar depression and a lot of childhood trauma. She struggled with prescription meds. It's shocking when it happens, yes, but I know she had struggled all of her life," said Shane who thinks about his mother every day.
"There is always going to be that regret and guilt. You just always have that question could I have done more? Is it my fault?," he said. Shane is athletic but never really liked jogging, until after his mother's death, when it was the only thing that brought him peace.
Shane vowed to run a marathon in his mother's honor and when the Rock and Roll Marathon got canceled last year, he ran for 26 miles in circles around his Clairemont neighborhood.
"It was great, all of my friends and family came out in support," said Shane.
Shane will now spend seven weeks running 10 half marathons in 10 cities. He bought an RV so his wife and 4-year daughter can join him.
"So, we start here on March 20th in San Diego," said Shane. Then it's off to Palm Springs, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Visalia.
"Then we hit Sacramento, Seattle, and then we come back down for San Francisco, down to Los Angeles and then back home," he said.
Shane has a full-time job as a shipping data analyst and wants to use those skills to launch a series of 5k runs for survivors of suicide loss and people suffering from mental health challenges. Shane is asking people to sign his shirt as he runs. One person wrote, 'Big heart, Great start'. Shane said, "I like that one, yeah."
Shane asked me to sign his shirt. I wrote, 'Run. Shane. Run. Your mother is smiling down on you'.
He told me, "Thank you I appreciate that."
Shane also suffers from anxiety and depression, which is why he is naming his tour Run For Your Life.
"I know my mom is cheering me on, so I am just going to keep on going," said Shane.
The Run For Your Life tour will hit 10 different cities along the west coast:
- March 20th – San Diego
- March 27th – Inland Empire/Palm Springs
- April 3rd – Phoenix
- April 10th – Las Vegas
- April 17th – Central Valley/Visalia
- April 20th – Sacramento
- April 24th – Portland
- April 28th – Seattle
- May 5th – San Francisco
- May 8th – Los Angeles
"Adding a recreational aspect into an area that has so little resources already brings a whole new level of community and provides a unique platform to honor a life, or a cause. As a survivor of suicide loss, I found that the resources out there were few and far between, with limited ability to truly connect with others with similar experiences. The ones that are out there typically take place in an enclosed environment," said Shane.
A crowdfunding page has been set up for people who would like to contribute to the cause and/or register for the mileage challenges to “Run along with Shane” and help spread the movement. Mileage challenges come with the opportunity to win a shopping spree from San Diego’s Milestone Running Shop and other prizes from notable brands such as Goodr's Sunglasses and Athletic Brewing.
Shane is asking for donations to support his cause, if you'd like to get involved click here.