A Tennessee man is taking on the run of a lifetime

ABERDEEN, Miss. – A Tennessee man is on a cross-country run that hopes will bring positivity to him, his family, and his community.

Zachary Deel is a Bristol, Tennessee native currently taking on a personal challenge of running from his home in Tennessee, all the way to the Santa Monica pier by Christmas Eve. a trip that will have him running over 2,600 miles. Over the past 3 years, Deel and his family have faced many hardships from the deaths of his cousin and his wife’s brother, losing his construction company and having to file for bankruptcy.

“I just was feeling down and depressed,” said Deel. “And at some point in your life, you either have to pick yourself up and move forward, or you’re just going to get stuck in that negativity. I’ve got 4 kids at home and a beautiful wife, and it was time to put one foot in front of the other and make sure that I’m doing something to be sure to take care of them.”

To this point he’s 20 days and 500 miles in and has his brother-in-law following him around in his RV to give him a place to sleep at night, and he also keeps a GPS on him tracking his progress, so his family knows he’s safe. Deel said that he’s doing this for his family and hopes to build a career out of running. His goal with his cross-country adventure is to be able to inspire others.

“Ultimately, I think doing hard things and being able to challenge yourself means a lot,” said Deel. “And I think more people should push themselves to see how far they can go and what they can achieve. So, I think by doing this I’m going to find a new person and myself and hopefully be able to reach out and let people know that they can do amazing things.”

You can track him on his journey and learn more about his testimony on his website zacgotfit.com, as well as on Instagram at @zacgotfit