Cedarville Magazine, Spring 2014

On August 20, 1973, 16 students set out to run a continuous relay across the United States to be a testimony for Christ across the country and to raise awareness for Cedarville College. Organized by Cross Country Coach Elvin King, the “Cross Country for Christ” group was made up of 16 runners, four van drivers, and Betty Bertschinger, the college nurse. Using a specially designed AAA TripTik, the relay began at the Pacific Coast shoreline in Astoria, Oregon, and ended 3,421 miles later at the Atlantic Coast in Portland, Maine. Four teams of runners took turns covering eight-hour shifts, each person running two one-hour legs per shift. Teams that weren’t running would drive ahead to the next meeting spot, rest, participate in promotional activities with local television and radio stations, distribute Gospel tracts, and speak in local churches. On September 7, 1973, just 17 days and eight hours after they’d begun, the runners reached their destination. This, of course, took place before cell phones and GPSs, mak ing the accomplishment even more impressive. They averaged 8.2 miles per hour, with some team members running a six-minute mile. While the runners took great care to pass this baton across the country, “Passing the Torch” was Cedarville’s official motto at that time. It evoked Timothy’s instructions that what “you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2). Conditioning runners for the race of their lives is still at the heart of Cedarville’s mission. Each generation of Cedarville graduates passes the torch to the next and entrusts it to take the Gospel message faster and farther across the country and around the world. Cedarville Magazine | 45