IOWA, USA — Don't call him a hero. Just call him Jared Ness.
It started with a map and finished with an epic road trip.
On Dec. 13, Alex Gookin tweeted out an Iowa map with a simple yet keen observation:
"You could conceivably order from all 26 @pancheros locations in the state of Iowa in 1 day. Driving route is 12 hours 53 minutes and with 5 minutes at each location, you could order your first burrito at 10:30 AM in West Des Moines and arrive in Iowa City before 1:45 AM closing."
Pancheros saw that map and responded accordingly: The first person to complete the challenge would get free burritos for a year.
So it was Jared Ness, a 2022 University of Iowa graduate, who took on the gauntlet and passed with flying colors. The route was 600-plus miles and included 15 hours of travel time, two energy drinks ... and a dead raccoon.
"Please send him your many congratulations on this incredibly impressive feat," Pancheros posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The inspiration for Ness may have been a former teacher, Mr. Casey Anderson.
"I was never much of a burrito fan and had never tried Pancheros until you gave me a Panch gift card as a graduation gift 5+ years ago!" Ness responded after a congratulatory post from Anderson.