<st people say they run cross country, they mean 3.2 miles on a closed course. But not for Carleton alumna Katie Visco (’07), a former track and field runner who is en route to becoming the youngest woman to run 3,200 miles across America. Visco’s route began in Boston, which she left on March 29, and is slated to end in December 2009 in San Diego, CA.
Other cities on her journey include New York City on April 18 (through 23rd), Allentown, Scranton, & Wilkes-Barre, PA on May 6, State College, PA on May 16, Youngstown, OH on May 29, Toledo, OH in early June, Gary Indiana in mid-June, Chicago in mid to late-June, Iowa City in early July, and Kansas City and Topeka, KS in late July or early August—and that’s just the first half. From there, she’ll wind her way down the country through New Mexico, finally finishing in San Diego around Christmas.
Interested supporters are welcome to join Katie in her run along the way. Her daily miles span from roughly 8 to 14 miles, with runs almost every day.
According to her website, Visco was inspired to run across the country after spending a year as a City Year volunteer, to exemplify the message of pursuing one’s passions. She writes, “I have a mantra, Pave Your Lane, which represents the idea of finding your passion, and pursuing it – you do not need a scripted track or ‘lane’ paved out for you to do this…. I am using my run across America as a bold example of how I am paving my lane in life – taking one of my deep passions (running) and applying it by doing something, in this case, out of the box.”
Visco is also fundraising for Girls on the Run while en route across America. The organization and charity empowers girls through running programs.
Visco has already been featured on multiple media outlets regarding her run and mission, including FOX25 Morning News (Feb. 17), WJAR NBC 10 (April 3) and ABC News Channel 8, Good Morning Connecticut (April 12). She will be featured on ABC News Now (the online version of ABC News) on April 20, and in June on WGN Noon News Chicago.
To follow Visco’s run across the country, follow her on her website www.paveyourlane.com, where visitors can plan to run alongside her or check her mileage progress.