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FARMVILLE – From “Fran-to-Sand”, Virginia runner Dave Kwiatkowski made his way through Farmville last week, on his way to complete a cross-country run.

Of the many trails, paths and roads the 26-year-old traveled in his 3,402-mile journey, one of them was the High Bridge Trail that brought him through Farmville. Last week he completed his run that started in the Pacific Ocean in San Francisco, California and ended in the Atlantic Ocean at his grandmother’s house in Sandbridge. 

Dave Kwiatkowski details his history 

Kwiatkowski always wanted to go on a big run. Most of the time, these runs are on something like a hiking trail that only goes through a specific area, like the Appalachian Trail. However, while planning this run, Kwiatkowski wanted to see more of the country and decided to go in a different direction.

“I wanted to go horizontally to see the different biomes and meet people across the country,” he said. “I want to get to know the country and this was a fun way to do it.”

He started his journey on Monday, May 1, in San Francisco. He stayed with a friend who lives there and started at the coast so he could start and end his journey in the ocean. He was most excited to go across the desert. Being originally from Charlottesville, the desert is a foreign place and it intrigued him. He was blown away by the change in scenery moving from West to East.

Some of the paths he took included U.S. 50 across the desert, Independence Path across the Rocky Mountains, a pedestrian bridge over the Mississippi River by the St. Louis Arch and then across the Appalachian Mountains. On Day 73 he made it to Farmville as he ran on the High Bridge Trail.

 

What went on the journey?

For the trip, all Dave Kwiatkowski took with him was a stroller, backpack and support from loved ones and strangers. The trip took 76 days where he averaged 45 miles per day with his lowest day being 35 miles and the highest being 56 miles. 

According to Kwiatkowski, this isn’t something that he could properly train for while still working and spending time with friends and family. Even though he trained to go up to 120 miles a week, to him, the first few weeks were the real training. He had a few injuries during the first two weeks, but after that, the rest of the run went smoothly.

On the morning of Sunday, July 16, Kwiatkowski ran through his Grandma’s backyard in Sandbridge and ended his journey in the Atlantic Ocean. To Kwiatkowski, finally reaching his goal was his favorite moment of the journey. 

“There was a lot of emotional build up and once I got to that moment, nothing came close,” he said. “There were times I felt nervous, scared, anxious but then laying there in the water just washed it all away.”

Learning about himself 

During his run, he learned a lot about himself and the country. He met a variety of people while going from state to state and found everyone to be kind and welcoming. He found that the encouragement of others is what got him through the tough times. Knowing that others believed he could do it and the satisfaction of telling them he did helped him press on to the end. 

Now that it’s over, Kwiatkowski is planning his next big adventure. He doesn’t plan on doing the same trip again as he wants something new he can get excited about.