Goldman Sets out on Record Breaking Cross-Country Run for Brain Injury Association of America

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) April 16, 2014

San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee gave Jessica Goldman a rousing send off this morning as she left the front steps of San Francisco City Hall. Goldman is running across the country in an attempt to break a world record, running from City Hall in San Francisco to City Hall in New York a distance of more than 3,000 miles. Mayor Lee counted Goldman into the start, officially sending her off at 8:15 a.m. PDT.

Goldman, who will be running across the United States using a modified jogging stroller filled with supplies, is raising funds for the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) while she attempts to break the women's trans-America run record. Her goal is to raise $5 for each mile she runs.

The current, official women's transcontinental world record was set in 1978 and stands at 69 days, two hours and 40 minutes. In order to break the record, Goldman must run between the two city halls with a GPS tracking device that records her position every 10 minutes. In addition, she has to have an official video and signatures from witnesses at the beginning and end of the trip, as well as collect witness signatures along the way. She also needs to take photos to document her journey.

Goldmans goal is 63 days for the entire trip, but she will not know if she has broken the record until she gets back and times herself. After that, the world record committee must accept her forms of proof before she is declared the world record holder.

A resident of New Hampshire, Goldman has documented her training on her blog, Goldman Goes For It, as she has logged hundreds of miles each week while running in snow, sleet, and freezing conditions.

This is Goldmans second self-powered trip across the country. In 1999 she rode her bicycle from California to New Hampshire.

Goldman is realistic about her attempt at the record. "I am planning on making a record attempt, but that is a secondary goal," she said in a recent interview "My primary goal is to complete a run across the country and raise awareness and funds for the Brain Injury Association of America."

It is personal experience that led Goldman to choose BIAA as the charity she will support through her record attempt. In addition to having two friends who are living with brain injuries, Goldman was involved in an accident while volunteering with the Peace Corps in Ethiopia.

"Jessica's run across America is an incredible undertaking. We are grateful that she is using it to help raise awareness and funds for brain injury," said Susan Connors, president & CEO of the Brain Injury Association of America."

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Goldman Sets out on Record Breaking Cross-Country Run for Brain Injury Association of America