The Ascetic on Asphalt: What a 3,000-Mile Run Reveals About the Monastic Heart

In an age of instant gratification, Jared Plasberg chose the slow road—3,000 miles of it, pushing an 80-pound stroller from San Diego to St. Augustine. But the 23-year-old’s transcontinental journey was never merely a feat of endurance. It was a living parable about the hidden sacrifices of motherhood and the quiet call to contemplation.

“The loneliness was one of the hardest parts,” Plasberg told the Catholic News Agency. Yet that solitude became a crucible. For 114 days, he faced the raw elements of decision-making: where to sleep, how to find food, how to stay safe. “There were many days when I felt discouraged, exhausted, or overwhelmed,” he admitted. But each hardship became a mirror reflecting the far greater challenges faced by pregnant women in crisis.

The run raised $20,000 for the Front Royal Pregnancy Center, but its deeper yield was spiritual. Plasberg, now discerning a vocation with the Carthusian order—founded by St. Bruno in 1084—found the road a kind of monastery without walls. “The run continually reminded me that I depend on him [God] for everything,” he said. In pushing that stroller, he carried not just supplies but a symbol: the weight of support that communities owe to mothers. His journey echoes the Camino de Santiago, reminding us that pilgrimage is not about distance covered, but about what we are willing to carry for others.