Man 5 months into a run across the country dies after being hit by car, family says
UPDATE, Sept. 5: The Texas Department of Public Safety said Lambert died on Saturday, Sept. 2.
The original story is below.
A man running across the country to raise support for health care and other frontline workers is near death after being hit by a car on Aug. 28, his family said.
Grady Lambert, of Stillwater, Oklahoma, had a mission.
On a sunny, slightly windy day in mid-March, Lambert set out to run from Cannon Beach, Oregon, to Hilton Head, South Carolina — a journey of 4,482 miles, he said in Instagram posts.
Lambert wanted to use the run to support those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly health care workers and others on the frontline, he explained on Instagram. Along the way, he planned to volunteer at local health clinics or stop at community gathering places.
Chronicling his journey, Lambert ran from Oregon through California to Arizona, crossing New Mexico to reach Texas. Along the way, he raised thousands of dollars on GoFundMe. By Aug. 26, Lambert had neared Amarillo, Texas, roughly 2,000 miles from where he started, Instagram posts show.
About 10 miles east of Amarillo on Aug. 28, Lambert was running along the highway with his stroller full of camping gear, Cindy Barkley of the Texas Department of Public Safety told McClatchy News.
A pickup truck driving west didn’t see Lambert because of the sun in their eyes, Barkley said, citing a preliminary investigation. When the driver finally did see the runner, it was too late. The vehicle swerved but still struck Lambert, leaving him in critical condition, authorities said.
“Grady will succumb in the coming days,” Lambert’s family posted on his Instagram account on Aug. 30.
Lambert’s mom recounted her son’s wishes to KOCO, “I said, ‘What do you want me to do in case something happens?’ And he said, ‘Mom, I want you to take my ashes and I want you to finish my run.”
“He just had such a big heart and compassion for those who struggled,” Lambert’s father told KGW.
Amarillo is about 375 miles northwest of Dallas.
This story was originally published September 1, 2022 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Man 5 months into a run across the country dies after being hit by car, family says."
