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
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