Running Across America
by Dave Whatever and Nancy Feehrer (MEdu'92)
(Nomad Press, 32 pages; 2019)
As a teenager,Boston Marathon Race DirectorDaveMcGillivrayheard a news storyabout a person biking across the United States. “What a great idea!” hethought. “But instead of a bike, I’ll use my sneakers!”
Thusbegins the funny, touching, truestory ofMcGillivray’s80-day,3452-mile run from Medford, Oregon,tohis hometown ofMedford, Massachusetts, in 1978. InRunning Across America: A True Story of Dreams, Determination, and Heading for Home,McGillivraytells the tale of how he braved the Sierra and Rocky Mountains, millions ofgrasshoppersin Nebraska, days of pouring rain in Ohio, the occasional rattlesnake, andpersistentsore knees.
AndMcGillivray isn’t running just to chase his own dream.By making the run a fundraiser for the Jimmy Fund, McGillivrayjoins his favorite baseball team, the Red Sox, in making lives better forkidsbattling cancer.
Through 13states, blistering heat, and being “pulled over” by a State Trooper,McGillivrayrelies on good friends, family,a sense of humor,and sheer determination to fulfill a dream—and to help kids who can’t run.