Former Iowa State wrestler is running across the country for a good cause

By Nicole Tam

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    AMES, Iowa (KCCI) — A former Iowa State wrestler is running across the country in memory of a fallen veteran.

Nels Matson wrestled for the Cyclones in the early 2000s. He made it to Hilton Coliseum in Ames Sunday evening, roughly halfway through his 3,000-mile journey that started in San Francisco.

He’s trying to break a world record for the fastest known time for a transcontinental run across the United States.

Matson is trying to raise $100 per mile for the Wounded Warrior Project. He says he was inspired by U.S. Navy Seal Chris Campbell, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2011.

“It has been a really good day today. We’ve had lots of support from donations as well. I hope that we get more. I know our Iowans out there are supportive of fellow Iowans, so I hope we get a lot of good donations to honor Chris Campbell’s legacy,” Matson said.

You can find the donation page at T4N1.org. Matson will head toward Nevada on Monday at 5:45 a.m.

To break the record, Matson needs to reach New York City in less than two weeks.

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