Elgin man looks to repeat cross-country run

In running circles, Elgin resident Bruce Johnson's nickname is "Forrest Gump."

Like the fictional movie character, Johnson ran across the United States - from California to Florida - in 2005.

On Friday, the 52-year-old will step off from a Jacksonville, Fla., beach to repeat the feat - except from east to west.

The 3,000-mile run is part adventure for Johnson, who has been running for 32 years. But it is 100 percent fundraiser for the Community Crisis Center in Elgin.

"I've been a runner all my life," said Johnson, who will average more than a marathon's distance each day. "If I'm going to run across the United States, why not help somebody?"

In 2005, Johnson ran 2,901.6 miles from California to Florida to raise money for the crisis center. But he drew limited publicity and raised less than $1,000.

This time around, he has a team working to get the word out and will be updating his process on the Internet though social networking Web sites such as Facebook.

Supporters wearing shirts that said "Run, Bruce, Run!" greeted Johnson last week at an Elgin kickoff party and the effort has already topped $1,600.

"A good wide shoulder and nice weather are all you can hope for," said Johnson, who wants to raise $1 million.

Despite the physical toll, Johnson enjoys the adventure, seeing the country up close and meeting people.

Along the route, a support driver will bring Johnson at 5 a.m. each day to the point where he stopped the day before. The driver will forge ahead, putting down mile markers and food. At the end of the day, they will retire at a hotel.

Johnson said he was nearly hit by cars several times during his 2005 odyssey. He was chased and attacked by dogs, and sometimes animals eat his sack lunch and before he can get there.

It's all part of the journey for Johnson, who runs with his iPod, cell phone and camera.

"I can't wait to get out on the road and have it start kicking my butt," said an antsy Johnson, who will run seven days a week. "This is fun for me. I'm spoiling myself here. If you're forced to do it, you'd be amazed at what your body can do."

Johnson's mission has been a shot in the arm for the Crisis Center's staff, said the center's executive director, Gretchen Vapnar.

"He said, 'I know what it is to have no place to go.' It was so sincere," Vapnar recalled of a conversation last year with Johnson, who was abused, neglected and abandoned as a child. "He has made a wonderful life for himself. He's respected. He's a businessman. And he runs."

The Crisis Center serves nearly 7,000 people a year, many of them women and child victims of domestic abuse. Clients primarily come from northern Kane County and northwest suburban Cook County, but the center accepts anyone throughout the state who is fleeing domestic violence and can't go home.

But like many social service agencies, the crisis center has been pushed to the brink by the state's budget woes.

A fundraiser over the summer garnered $160,000 to help the center stay open, Vapnar said.

She said everyone is excited about Johnson's journey.

"He's a wonderful friend," she said. This has been a real ray of hope," Vapnar said. "He's so determined, it's unbelievable."

To follow Johnson's run or to donate, visit unitedstatesrun.com or crisiscenter.org/run.

Johnson is spending his own money for food, gas and hotel rooms along the way. He also will lose out on plenty of business for his roofing company, too.

But he hopes a sponsor or donor will step forward to allow him to turn around in May when he reaches California and run back to Florida.

"That would make a lot money for the (Crisis) Center," Johnson said. "No human being has ever run across the United States, turned around and come back."

Except Forrest Gump.

How to helpWhat: Elgin resident Bruce Johnson on Jan. 15 will start a run from Florida to California to raise money for the Elgin-based Community Crisis Center. The 52-year-old Johnson ran across the United States in 2005. He hopes to finish this run in May and is considering a return trip - from west to east - if he can find a sponsor.Where: Donations can be made at unitedstatesrun.com or crisiscenter.org/run.