Trans-America runners near goal

Dave Bronfenbrenner and Scott Sehon on the road. Photo by Charlie Kanzig

Dave Bronfenbrenner and Scott Sehon give the phrase "cross-country running" a whole new meaning. The pair came through Sisters last week as they neared the end of a journey that began on the New Jersey coast on February 24 and will end in Florence, Oregon on August 2.

The two 25-year-old former roommates and teammates on the Bucknell University (Pennsylvania) cross country and track teams are running unassisted across the entire United States.

The two arrived in Sisters on the road from Redmond on Tuesday, July 15, took a day off Wednesday, and headed up and over the McKenzie Pass on Thursday morning.

They were picked up and brought back to Sisters to stay Thursday night before going back up Friday to continue on toward McKenzie Bridge.

Sehon began talking about this quest five years ago. He knew he needed a partner and felt certain that Dave was the right man for the job.

"We had known each other for seven years, including time as roommates, so we felt confident about our ability to cooperate with one another," he said.

Both young men went to work after graduating from Bucknell in 2000, but last year the time was right to go for it in 2003. So they saved up money, submitted their resignations and made the final arrangements.

Sehon wanted to make the trip completely their own, so they decided they would not pay any money for accommodations and not accept any physical assistance with the running along the way.

"We wanted to be responsible for ourselves," said Sehon. "If we got into sponsorships, support crews, or making it into some kind of fund-raiser the purpose would have something other than the pure idea of just doing it."

A friend helped design a website (visit www.runtheusa.com) that publicizes and monitors the journey.

"The website gave people a chance to check the route and offer a place to stay, which has worked out great," said Sehon.

In over 140 days on the road the two have slept outside in their sleeping bags just 13 times. They carry their wordly possessions, (a bivouac sack, two sleeping bags, a tarp, camera, video camera, and running clothes) in a baby jogger, which they take turns pushing over five- minute intervals.

The runners average just over 20 miles a day, usually starting in mid-morning and running until 1 p.m. On five occasions they ran over 40 miles in order to get to the next arranged place to stay. Their route crossed through states that had enough population to make it possible to have places for lodging.

Tate and Amy Metcalf provided lodging Tuesday and Wednesday nights in Sisters and Charlie and Deirdre Kanzig hosted them Thursday night. While in town, Tate Metcalf arranged for the two to get massages at Shibui and secured a round of golf for them at Aspen Lakes on Wednesday.

On Tuesday night the pair got to meet about 20 members of the Sisters High School cross country team and they enjoyed a salmon dinner with the Givot family on Wednesday night.

The runners have gotten ahead of schedule so will take a week off once they get to Eugene. Families and friends will be on hand on August 2 to celebrate the completion of the journey.

Dave and Scott both agreed that Oregon's natural beauty is the finest they have seen so far.

"The diversity in this state is amazing, and we haven't even gotten to the western side yet," said Bronfen brenner.

Upon completion of the trip, Bronfenbrenner will head home to Pennsylvania briefly before returning to the west coast to begin his master's degree at the University of California, Berkeley. Both he and Sehon hope to run under 2:22 in a marathon in the next few months to qualify for the 2004 Olympic Trials.

People frequently ask Sehon for the meaning and purpose of the run for him.

"It's evolved over the five years since I first thought of doing it and it is changing even as we go along," he said. "I think that even after we're finished, the experience will continue to define itself for me."