Welcome!

In commemoration of Rochester Institute of Technology's 175th Anniversary, a group of runners from the University ran across the country, beginning on November 17th, 2004. Quite literally, the runners crossed the continent, beginning at the Pacific Ocean just north of San Diego, and traveling through Phoenix, Albuquerque, Amarillo, St. Louis, Cincinatti, and Washington, DC before they finished at the Chesapeake Bay outside of Annapolis.

To have accomplished such a feat, each runner on the team ran two miles at a time, then rested for 3 hours 30 minutes, to cover the 2,730 mile distance. The team improved the record set by the 1979 cross country team, who ran a similar distance in 14 days, 4 hours, and 8 minutes.

The non-stop relay took the runners from Sea level in California, to over 8000 feet in the Rocky Mountains of Arizona. Such a daunting task required training, dedication, and nutrition. Some of the numbers behind the relay:

• Each runner ran two miles at a time
• The runners averaged 13.5 minutes for their two mile segments
• Rest time between runs was about 3 1/2 hours
• Each runner completed about 6-7 runs per day, or 12-14 miles per day
• The distance for each runner was ~90 miles per week, or 170 total for the trip
• The team traveled through 13 states and the District of Columbia
• The runners slept in two RV's that followed the team, at about 9 mph.