Every spring, brothers of Alpha Tau Omega gather bright and early at the John Robert Lewis quad to embark on a 128-mile journey for a noble cause. They call it Walk Hard.
“It builds bonds stronger than we could ever manage to build through the suffering that each one of us goes through, mile after mile,” said Walk Hard Director James Strickland, a senior global business major from Dothan, Alabama.
Walk Hard is a challenging six-day trek that takes place over Spring Break each year. Brothers walk all the way from Troy’s campus to Pier Park in Panama City Beach, Florida. The strenuous journey acts as a fundraiser to support Jeep Sullivan’s Wounded Warrior Outdoor Adventures.
Jeep Sullivan’s Wounded Warrior Outdoor Adventure is a non-profit organization that works with veterans who have sustained serious injuries, many with lost limbs or unable to walk. With many of these veterans at the lowest points of their lives, Jeep uses the money it raises to support them through hunting and fishing trips, lifting them up with the word of God.
“The amount of money we are so blessed to be able to raise gives Jeep the ability to not only minister to our country's veterans but also save lives,” Strickland said. “It is an important legacy to leave because it allows us, as mere college fraternity men, to permanently impact the lives of so many of our country's heroes.”
Both mentally and physically draining, the journey is no easy feat. Theo Thoenes, a three-time walker, explained some of the challenges the brothers face as they make their way south, walking nearly 10 hours a day.
“It's like the hardest thing you've ever done,” said Thoenes, a senior RMI major from Decatur, Alabama. “Most guys I would say are one and done.
I’m one of the oddballs who wants to do it over and over.
It’s physically exhausting. You get a lot of blisters, some muscle pains.”
Even harder than the physical challenge, he said, is the mental aspect of it all.
“In your head, you're telling yourself, ‘I can't do this, I can't do this,’ but then to overcome that and prove to yourself that you're made of more than you think you are, it's very empowering,” Thoenes said.
Ben Hollingensworth, the current president of ATO and former Walk Hard participant, shared his experience, as well.
“I have permanent nerve damage in both of my feet, zero feeling in either of my pinky toes,” said Ben Hollensworth, a junior exercise physiology major from Mobile, Alabama. “I had a double staph infection on my left foot, ended up in three different hospitals and even got six or seven shots. Still, I want to do it again.
“It hurts. It sucks at times. It's miserable, but it’s so worth it.”
Despite the pain, they persevere. Hollensworth explained the cause they’re walking for - these wounded warriors - are what inspire them to push forward.
“We do it because we can,” Hollensworth said. “These veterans have put their lives on the line to give us a life.
“We are all honored to do the walk, something they can't anymore because of their sacrifices.”
Each night, the brothers stop at a local church, where they are met with food and shelter. They are also able to hear from some of these veterans, their stories instilling in them more motivation as they trek onward.
Over the years, Walk Hard has garnered an overwhelming amount of support from the community. Not only do supporters make monetary donations to help the cause, but they also cheer the brothers on. When the walkers finally arrive at their destination after six exhausting days, they are met with hundreds of smiling faces.
“There's usually around 500 people there to meet us; friends, family and other people from Troy that come down,” Hollensworth said. “We have helicopters that fly over us, police, fire trucks, everything's around us.
“It's one of the most surreal feelings I've ever felt in my life.”
Troy students are not the only ones who know what Walk Hard stands for.
“It's become so widely recognized by the people in the area,” Thoenes said. “I've always been encouraged by that and thought it was really neat.”
This year’s Walk Hard send-off will be Friday, March 14 at 8 a.m. on the John Robert Lewis quad.
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