If you've driven through the greater Tampa Bay region or Palm Beach County, you might have seen a shirtless man running with an American flag.
Teagan "Pure Joy" McCoy is channeling his inner Forrest Gump.
Unlike the iconic character portrayed by Tom Hanks, who "ran for no particular reason," McCoy said he has a very important purpose: to unify America and "spread love, positivity and joy."
"Nothing will stop me. If my legs are taken away from me, I will crawl. I do not care," he said. "I will keep this flag in my hand, and I will move no matter what, baby. For y'all, for the people."
McCoy hits the pavement every day — rain or shine.
He started his journey in New Port Richey, running "up and down U.S. 19." He said a friend inspired him to start using his phone to create content and reach out to people.
"I got home, and the first thing that I saw was this beautiful flag on my truck," McCoy said. "It's mounted, you (can) see the PVC pipe with the drill holes in it. So I took it off, and I was like, 'Man, I'm fixing to go for a run, like Forrest Gump.'"
Then he said he "just started running." Once he was about 10 miles from his house and exhausted, he decided to turn back. At mile 17, his dad showed up and started filming. He posted the video on Instagram, and it went viral, with over seven million views.
He has been running every day since — about 100 days straight. He's gone to parks and trails throughout the Tampa Bay region and in Delray Beach. He usually runs shirtless in American-themed shorts, but is always holding his American flag.
"I will run with this beautiful flag until I'm in the grave and in heaven, baby," McCoy said. "There is no stopping."
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McCoy said he's taking the movement nationwide next year. He wants to run a half-marathon in every state. His goal is to drive to a new state each week and participate in a different event each weekend.
And he doesn't want to do it alone. McCoy plans to share his running locations as he travels across the country.
"This is the American movement. This is the American tour," he said. "You'll have the chance to run with me personally."
You can follow McCoy on Instagram (@purejoymccoy) to watch him run across the U.S., and find out where to join him for a run.
Want to join the conversation or share your story? Email Meghan at bowman4@wusf.org.
If you have any questions about state government or the legislative process, you can ask the Your Florida team by clicking here.
This story was produced by WUSF as part of a statewide journalism initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
