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QUINCY, ILL. -- Very few people would call a cross country run a " victory lap" but Tom Knoll does.

He is one of the 15 original men who created the Ironman competition in Hawaii.

Started in 1978, the event has become an 80 million dollar corporation.

Knoll has done this type of cross country run twice before for charity.

Last year he raised more than a million dollars.

This year he is running for four charities including the Sunshine Foundation, The Wounded Warriors Project and the Jimmy V cancer foundation.

Knoll says it's a great idea for those who can, to mix athletics with charity.

"I think if a person's athletically fit and they're doing well, that they should convert it, help people that aren't quite that lucky. Like Phil Mickelson, one of the great pros. He's got a big charity for children. So he makes a lot but he gives a lot," Knoll said. "And that's the same with me."

Knoll has the unique distinction of having served his country in four separate conflicts.

He joined the Marines in 1950 and served in Korea and Vietnam and then served in defense intelligence in Afghanistan and Iraq, ending his military career in 2003.