Paul Johnson, a veteran and ultra runner, is known for his running adventures, like running across America and beating world running records in places like Antarctica.
Now he's on his way to beating another world record: longest distance run on a treadmill. And he's doing it to raise money for Bronx organization Bronx Burners.
Johnson said he wanted to run 700 miles in seven days and raise $700,000 for the Bronx Burners. News 12 spoke with Johnson who said he is not on track to run all 700 miles, but he still wants to beat the world record, which is 526 miles.
When asked why he is passionate about the Bronx Burners, Johnson said this, "They do a lot of really awesome stuff with getting the youth in the Bronx and getting them to build their community and be a part of something. And then giving them those opportunities, especially to pursue higher levels of education and athletics and really keep that going."
The Bronx Burners is a running club that hosts weekly public track practices, trainings for races and has donated over $100,000 in scholarship money to participants. The organization is aimed at making running cool and accessible, while also teaching people the skills to push their body to healthy limits.
Shaquille Roberts, one of the Bronx Burners' founders, said the money raised will go directly toward their scholarship fund for participants. He said he's grateful for Johnson to make the Bronx Burners part of his running adventures, and he wants to support him in any way he can. He said members of the Bronx Burners have been visiting Johnson throughout the week to run alongside him and offer him words of encouragement.
Johnson is running at 137 W 19th Street in Manhattan for the next four days. He's encouraging anyone to stop by and offer him support during his run! He is also live streaming his progress here.
