Solo trip around (not across) America: Runner nears finish after 10,000+ miles

An Indiana man is running, eating and sleeping wherever he stops as he journeys through each U.S. border state.
Cameron Dean Balser’s travels are part of a goal he set in October.
With a cart full of necessities in tow, the 32-year-old plans to finish on Aug. 3, he said Friday afternoon, speaking from Michigan.
Balser is from Kokomo, Indiana, about 61 miles north of Indianapolis, and has hit 33 states so far with two more to go.
As of Friday afternoon, he was trying to finish Michigan and then he’ll head for his final destination: Cleveland.
Balser is an ultra runner, which means he runs above marathon length (26.2 miles). When he first got into it, he noticed a lot of people had run across the nation.
“I was just looking at things that some people may not have attempted and I don’t believe that there’s been a person that’s done a solo consecutive trip around America,” he told USA TODAY. 
The idea kept crossing his mind, so he followed that feeling and set out to run. He started in Cleveland and so far, he has made lots of friends. He even spent Thanksgiving with a family his mother connected him to in Virginia.
This journey isn’t the first to earn Balser praise from runners and community members. He is also going to be featured in a documentary about a 300-mile race he recently completed from Santa Monica to Las Vegas. 
“I was able to get there on the 23rd of March on time,” he said. He had two days off, ran the race, flew back to Santa Monica and continued his border state run.
The documentary will premiere in his hometown, said Balser, who has sponsors that keep track of his adventures online. 
As of the website’s most recent update, he has run 10,407 miles, running an average of 39.3 miles per day.
Balser initially thought he had things planned perfectly for his border state run.
However, the universe had other plans.At one point, he went down a road that made it difficult to pull his 50-pound cart. Inside were items such as a tent, a sleeping bag, extra clothes, a water filter and dehydrated foods. 
“My route changed pretty much the first day,” he told USA TODAY.
He said at least eight to 10 people honk at him a day or recognize him, and he often meets new people when he needs them most.
“I believe, now, in divine timing,” he said. “Certain places I would be at, especially in the south, it would be 100 miles in between sections before I’d get water and food.”
Somehow, he’d meet people who could give him food or water.
One day, his mom shared a post about him online and a Virginia family reached out. His mom connected them to him and he had dinner with them.
“Out of the 200 and almost 300 days, I bet at least 120 of those days have been with complete strangers,” he said. “They’re like my family now because I still keep in contact with all the people I’ve stayed with.”
Some people have even given him a nickname after seeing him run: Forrest Gump. He thinks it’s because he treats people the way Forrest did in the 1994 film.
“The way he treats people was the same way I would treat anybody else,” he said. “With unconditional love.”
Balser said people have given him leftovers and money for lunch. Some businesses have given him free meals so he could continue on his way and reach his goal.
“I’ve told my mom and all my family, I was like ‘I feel like I’m home everywhere I’m at,’” Balser said.
He also sees people helping each other as he’s out running. Once, he saw an older woman who had bumped into a young man’s car.
“She was all worked up, crying, and he just gave her a hug and said it was OK,” he said. “Those kinds of moments … There’s so much of that going on that is just very nice to see.”
Balser, who previously worked at a YMCA in Grant County, Indiana, said he likes spending time with family and friends and helping community members. 
He wants people to love each other the way they’ve loved him during his journey.
“If we love each other like that … you really will see the world change,” he said.
Keep up with Balser at www.meshtc.com/cam and www.instagram.com/camerondeanbalser.
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at@SaleenMartin or email her [email protected].