May 14, 2018. Nearly 100 friends, family, and supporters gathered at Kituwah Mound. Tribal leaders, including Principal Chief Richard Sneed, prayed with him before he left (One Feather).

Then he ran the Trail of Tears' Benge Route, about 1,200 miles from Cherokee to Tahlequah, Oklahoma, to honor his ancestors and raise money for a recovery house (Cherokee Phoenix).

The plan was about 34 miles a day, six days a week. His mother, Ruth McCoy, drove the supplies. They both slept outside. He said he wanted it to hurt (WLOS).

“Seek some suffering because that's the only place that you're going to grow.”— Kallup McCoy II, to WLOS, 2018

Spring 2025. Kallup set out from San Diego to run across America and fund the Gadugi House (One Feather).

On day 56 he started the morning in his hometown, from the Cherokee Post Office, with local runners alongside. He was already on his fifth pair of shoes.

Ten days later, 66 days after leaving San Diego and nearly 3,000 miles later, he ran into the ocean at Wrightsville Beach with his family and friends around him. He said it came with doubt, fear, and trouble eating and keeping his energy up (WWAY).

He gives the credit to his wife and his mom. They raised the money and made it happen.

• StartSan Diego, CA
• Day 56Home · Cherokee, NC
• FinishWrightsville Beach, NC · day 66
• DistanceNearly 3,000 miles

October 2026. The Mammoth 200 in California, his first 200-mile race, with about 32,000 feet of climbing and descending. He went in aiming for the top 10, with a crew and a camera following (One Feather).

He didn't finish. It stays in the file.

He's coming back for it. The man who ran from a cell to the Atlantic doesn't leave things unfinished for long.

• Badwater Cape Fear 51.42018 · finished · buckle
• Trail of Tears · Benge Route2018 · ~1,200 mi
• The Georgia Jewel 1002020 · 100 mi
• Bob's Big Timber Backyard2023 · 87.5 mi
• Run across America2025 · 66 days
• Mammoth 2002026 · DNF · first 200