SOUTH CAROLINA, USA — A father with firsthand experience in the torrential rainfall from Hurricane Helene is giving back to those impact by the storm by running in the New York City Marathon.
David Jones partnered with the American Red Cross and the New York Road Runners Club to raise money for Helene relief in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina, as well as upstate South Carolina.
During the devastating storms, he traveled from South Carolina to Johnson City, Tennessee for his daughter's wedding. He was so determined to make it to his daughter Elizabeth's wedding that after getting stuck in Erwin, Tennessee, he left his car and traveled 27 miles, mostly on foot, to walk his daughter down the aisle.
"I just did what any dad would do," Jones said.
As Jones was traveling, he took a photo of a reflector that he wanted to give to his daughter and her husband as a remembrance of being each other's protectors. In that photo, Jones can be seen wearing a NYC Marathon runner jacket, which caught the Red Cross' attention.
The nonprofit reached out to Jones and invited him to partner with them and run the marathon on Nov. 3.
"I only had about a month's notice," Jones said. "I wasn't planning on running a marathon this fall. So, I've been trying to bump up my mileage here pretty quick and I'll do a walk run so I can finish because I obviously wanna go the distance. It's sort of part of the theme here."
Jones started a fundraising page with the Red Cross where people can donate to Helene's relief efforts. He hopes to raise $10,000.
"I set a high goal because there's a high need," he said.
But aside from monetary donations, he and his family have gone out to help people in the area.
"There's been a lot of grassroots efforts," Jones said. "My family's been involved. We have washed clothes for linemen. We have delivered goods that have been donated. We've had little central location here in our cul-de-sac and got things out."
Jones was quite surprised when he got the call to travel to New York, partner with the Red Cross and help raise funds for Helene's relief.
"It was something I couldn't pass up," he said.
Even though he ran in the NYC Marathon back in 2016, he said that running this time around for a good cause is rewarding.
"I'm thrilled," Jones said. "During my trek, once I got through the worst of the devastation and the destruction and I got to areas where it was easily navigable, each step of the way, I just felt a little more confident. Like, 'I'm gonna do that. I'm gonna make this, I am going to cross the finish line. I'm gonna get there on time.'"