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Adelphi Alum's Cross-Country Running Adventure Completed

Adam Clark finishes three-month and more than 3,000 mile journey from Jones Beach to California just before Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving turkey will be extra tasty for Adelphi alum Adam Clark.

The former Adelphi University and Wantagh High School cross country runner completed a grueling three-month and more than 3,000 mile journey from Jones Beach to California Monday.

Clark and his former Adelphi cross country teammate Jeffrey Perez completed the coast-to-coast adventure together while raising money for individual charitable causes.

Clark, who made the NCAA Division II All-Region Team as a senior at Adelphi, said he averaged about 35 miles a day during his trek while only taking two days off from the moment he began the run across America on Aug. 20. His journey was completed Monday with a 17-mile run ending at the Pacific Ocean.

"All of a sudden I saw the Pacific Ocean and it was an overwhelming feeling," said Clark of when he completed his cross-country goal.

Only 236 individuals have successfully been documented running across the U.S, according to usacrossers.com. Clark and Perez provided daily updates and video blogs throughout their cross-country journey on their website, TheTCProject.com.

Clark said he held up well physically during the grueling journey but being alone at many points presented its own unique test. " It was a lot tougher mentally than physically," Clark said.

Clark and Perez were assisted on their cross-country adventure by former Adelphi teammate Ian Leavitt and James Eastman, a longtime friend of the two runners. Leavitt and Eastman, a Massapequa resident, drove Clark's car as a support crew along the way.

As part of his three-month run, Clark has been raising money for Shannon’s Fight, an organization formed earlier this year that provide individuals with rare forms of cancer a chance at life. The organization is named for Clark’s cousin, Shannon Serkes, 15, who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Clark’s sister, Brianne also overcame a rare form of cancer at an early age.

Clark will be arriving home just in time for Thanksgiving when he departs for New York on a red-eye flight from Los Angeles Wednesday night. "I'm excited to come back home," he said. "It is going to be a greet homecoming."

"It will be the best Thanksgiving ever," said Adam's mother, Nancy Clark. "We are just so grateful that God watched over him and took care of him these past three months."

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