Kyle Lang: Running United 2017

Most runners reach for records. Not Kyle Lang.

“Middle school, high school cross country and track, I’d run and I’d be a middle of the pack runner.”

Kyle runs for different reasons.

“Running has always been a passion of mine. And when I have the ability to align my passion with helping others.”

He had the chance to combine action and altruism for his senior exit project at West Salem. Kyle two summers back decided to run 101 miles to raise money and awareness for two hunger organizations.

“It really was the journey that inspired me to one day run across America.”

Kyle, who will be a junior this fall at Princeton University, has spent the past year and a half planning the logistics. Training began this past January.

“I peaked at 140 miles a week.”

June 5th, on the Washington coast and with his bare feet in the Pacific Ocean he took off for Coney Island, New York.

“My goal is to run 45 miles a day and ideally I won’t have any days off.
A typical day for me would look from 6 to 11 in the morning I’ll cover 20 miles.
Then from noon to 4 cover around 13 miles.
And then from 5 to 7 in the evening cover about 12 miles. And then wherever we stop for the day is where we’ll sleep for the night and then we’ll do it all over the next day.”

Kyle’s biggest concern isn’t staying healthy or what kind of elements he may run into. Surprisingly, it’s food.

“I’m supposed to eat eight to ten thousand calories a day over the summer. And you get to a point when you are eating where food just doesn’t taste good anymore, it’s a chore.”

Kyle is hoping to raise $29.67 for each of the 2,967 miles he’s running. That money will go to three nonprofits: Great Rivers United Way, Every Hand Joined, and Special Olympics New Jersey.

He also dedicates each mile, providing a driving force through this tiresome trek.

“So I can be praying let’s say over the health of a friend’s parent or world peace or a friend I know who is struggling with loneliness. If I can dedicate each mile to a different intention that can make my running mean even more than something about myself.”

Follow Kyle’s run across America on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kylelangruns/

Make a donation, submit an intention, and read Kyle’s blog: KyleLangRuns.com