MOUNT VERNON — A relay designed to unite the country is estimated to reach Mount Vernon around 2:45 a.m. on Wednesday.
Relay For America started June 14 in San Francisco. It is scheduled to reach Washington, D.C., in time for the fireworks on the National Mall.
Two hundred and fifty runners will carry the same flag nonstop along the 3,016-mile route.
Gambier resident Derek Shrock and Mount Vernon resident Dave Parsons are among those runners.
Both runners learned about the relay on Instagram.
“I thought it looked like a really neat opportunity. With the fact that it was coming right through Knox County, I signed up pretty much immediately,” Shrock said.
Parsons said he envies people who experience the country by running across it.
“I joined in with pro ultra runner Mike Wardian for some miles a couple of years ago when he ran across the country and it was fun,” he said.
“Doing this relay allows me once again to experience a small bit of what it’s like. It’s even more special this time because the route comes right through Mount Vernon and within about a block of my house.”
Uniting Americans, 1 mile at a time
More significantly, both men like the unity aspect of the run.
“I think it’s just a really neat thing that the people that organized this did. There have been lots of people coming out to show their support with the runners as they run past,” Shrock said.
“They’ve really put a lot of emphasis on unification of the country, which I think is a really neat thing and just a unique way to celebrate the country’s 250th birthday.”
Parsons said he “loves being part of things that are bigger than me.”
“The goal of this specific relay was to unite Americans as we head into the 250th birthday of our country. The simple act of random people coming together to get the flag nonstop across the U.S. in 20 days has been so uplifting to follow along online with and I’m thankful for the opportunity to join it,” he said.
Parsons, who came to Mount Vernon Nazarene University in 1990, also wanted to honor family members and friends who have served or are currently serving in the military.
Each mile is run in honor of a veteran.
“I think especially of my grandfather, Robert Mahaffey, and know he would be so proud of me helping with this,” he said.
The people’s relay
Shrock has been running for about eight years. Parsons started running in 2010 as a way to get in shape.
Both runners will help carry the flag on 12-mile segments.
Parsons will run segment 207, which is roughly west of Sparta to Harcourt Road in Mount Vernon via Ohio 229.
Shrock will run segment 208 from Harcourt Road to Lepley Road.
The Mount Vernon Police Department and Knox County Sheriff’s Office will escort the runners.
As of the time this article published, Parsons is estimated to hand off the flag to Shrock at 2:45 a.m. on Wednesday. Readers can track the flag’s progress on the live tracker at relayforamerica.org/live.
Shrock said the heat will be a challenge.
“Even with the temperatures dipping a little bit, it will wear runners out pretty quickly,” he said.
The coast-to-coast relay is the brainchild of Joe Nail and Wyatt Moss, two runners who are running a marathon in all 50 states.
