Forrest Gump isn’t a patch on Paul Johnson. On March 1, 2024, Paul Johnson began an attempt to run 3,000 cross country – from Los Angeles to New York City – to raise funds for mental health, the Palm Springs Tribune reports.

A Navy lieutenant, Johnson’s goal is to raise $1 million for Team Red, White & Blue (Team RWB), a nonprofit organization aiming to create America’s leading health and wellness community for veterans. He hopes to run 75 miles a day, completing the journey in a World Record 40 days, two days faster than ultrarunner Pete Kostelnick, who holds the current 42-day Guinness World Record. At a 10- to 12-minute-mile pace, he will spend 13 to 15 hours running each day.

Johnson, who been open about his own struggles with mental health and self-medicating with alcohol, has found running to be a powerful tool in his journey toward wellness.

“Running was helping me deal with sleep issues, nightmares, anxiety, depression, self-harm and cutting. Running gives me a chance to take a break from those feelings — it’s almost like a meditation to me.”

Team RWB bases its work in research showing that aerobic exercise changes the brain, helping combat anxiety and depression and boosting self-esteem. In one study, depressed teen girls who jogged as a part of therapy exhibited significantly lower levels of depression when compared to those who did not exercise.

Johnson hopes to raise awareness about mental health, which he says does not receive enough attention in the military, helping others “recognize the transformative potential of physical activity to improve mental health and overall well-being,” the article says.

You can track his progress here.