Virtual Running

Paul Staso, Homecoming in Del., Oct. 20,2006 -www.pacerun.com

Paul Staso wants to take your students on a 610-mile trek across Montana. But don’t worry—even if you or your students are from Wyoming, heck, even Florida, you can still jog alongside the 42-year-old long-distance runner.

Staso, a former fifth-grade teacher, hosts a Web site, pacetrek.com, on which teams of students will be able to log their efforts to collectively walk or run the same 610 miles over the same 17-day stretch as Staso will run this Spring.

The event, dubbed P.A.C.E Trek 2008, is aimed at raising the awareness of childhood obesity and the decline in youth fitness. Staso will begin his run April 28, 2008.

The student teams—which range from 12 to 100 students—can cover the 610 miles during recess, gym class, or extracurricular sports. An individual on a team of 30, for example, would need to cover about 1.2 miles per day for 17 days to keep pace with Staso.

In summer 2006, Staso ran across the country, from Oregon to Delaware, covering 3,260 miles in 108 days, as part of a pledge he made to elementary schoolchildren in Montana. During this upcoming race, Staso will run east-to-west across Montana, averaging 36 miles per day for 17 straight days, while pushing a 65-pound stroller filled with water, a tent, and a solar panel to charge his electronics, among other necessities.

He will blog and post pictures and video during his upcoming trek on his Web site, pacetrek.com, which also has biographical information and further details about this project.

By Brian Freedman

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