For Brad Ortenzi and Randy Martin, the task is complete.
At about 3 Monday morning, the pair crossed the Race Across America finish line in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It took them eight days, 13 minutes and 47 seconds to get there.
The two men and their crew, who set off from Oceanside, California, on June 20, traveled more than 3,000 miles across 13 different states to raise money for ZOE International, a nonprofit that raises money and awareness for child trafficking.
Throughout their journey, the team raised $205,487 of its $250,000 goal.
On average, the team traveled at a speed of 16.3 miles per hour and 243.9 miles per day.
The crew will now return to Lancaster County to conduct a “clean up” day, and the men will start their road to recovery after eight days of putting their bodies through extreme circumstances.
Ortenzi and Martin were the only two-man team entered in this year’s race. Of the 44 total teams that started the race, 15 did not finish; one tracker has not been updated since June 26, and the other 28 concluded the race before the nine-day mark.
One of the last three groups to cross the finish line, despite the hardships they experienced along the way, Ortenzi and Martin never let their goal slip their mind.
Throughout the race and accompanying livestream, one common theme was continuously referenced: If they could help just one child who has been affected by trafficking, then the whole race was worth it.
But just because the race is over does not mean that the effort to raise awareness ends. To learn more about ZOE International, go to gozoe.org.
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