"Man, it felt awesome to finish," he said.

Warriner, 21, of Cary took off running this month from the state line near Trade, Tenn., to help raise money for research on multiple sclerosis, the disorder that has left his mother's legs weak and unsteady. He estimates he raised about $3,000 for the National MS Society.

Warriner, a newly minted Appalachian State University graduate, also made the trip to sate his thirst for adventure. He ran from town to town, along highways and back roads, and crashed with college acquaintances, all while running an average of more than 30 miles a day.

Nobody keeps track of such cross-state runs, but there is no doubt Warriner logged an impressive jog. Most people quit after a single, 26.22-mile marathon. He just kept going.

"It was absurd," Warriner said.

Warriner says he keeps telling himself that he should not attempt such a grueling task again because he thinks "there are some negative side effects to running that intense kind of quantity."

But still ...

"The whole thing was just cool," he said. "The best part was how vivid the world was during the 12-day period. Everything I ate tasted so good, all my sleep was the best sleep I ever had. It was really exciting to be living like that. Nothing was ever boring."

Once Warriner finished his run, he did little except laze around Holden Beach with friends. "Even when they play soccer on the beach," he said, "I just sit around and watch."

Warriner's next adventure will not involve running but it will feature North Carolina. He is moving to China in August to work as a liaison between a university in Shanghai and the University of North Carolina system.