A-Cross America Relay: Pro-lifers unite this fall to encourage pregnant mothers to CHOOSE LIFE for their unborn babies
Pro-lifers are set to embark on a massive cross-shaped relay this fall to encourage pregnant mothers to choose life for their unborn babies.
The A-Cross America Relay, organized by the pro-life organization LIFE Runners, will see runners and walkers from the East and West Coast, North Dakota and Texas in September, to converge on Kansas City in Roe Park on Oct. 19. The relay will consist of 5K legs that would be meticulously timed to ensure all routes meet in Kansas City. Concurrently, other pro-lifers will partake in their neighborhoods, wearing LIFE Runners t-shirts that urge onlookers to “REMEMBER the Unborn,” from Sept. 6 to Oct. 19.
This event is a combination of prayer and visible advocacy. Participants will pray for unborn children and their mothers, often in front of abortion clinics, hoping to inspire a change of heart in abortion-minded women. (Related: Unborn babies can recognize FACES from inside the womb.)
According to Dr. Pat Castle, the founder of LIFE Runners and former Air Force lieutenant colonel, the traditional start on the West Coast at the Golden Gate Bridge will be replaced with a prayer session at San Francisco’s Planned Parenthood, followed by a mile-long walk to Union Square, a bustling public space. Similarly, the relay will begin in New York at Manhattan’s Planned Parenthood and proceed to Times Square’s Father Duffy statue.
In the southern U.S., the relay will prominently feature the “REMEMBER the Unborn” banner at the University of Texas in Austin, targeting college-age students – a demographic accounting for 40 percent of abortions. In the north, participants will start at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Fargo, North Dakota and walk to a Planned Parenthood in Minnesota.
At each meeting, participants will recite the LIFE Runners Creed, praying to end abortion and heal the wounds it causes. Benedictine College students will complete the final leg, culminating in a prayer led by Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City at Roe Park.
Moreover, Castle stated that anyone regardless of location, can join the relay by completing a 5K leg in their neighborhood while wearing LIFE Runners gear. Those unable to walk or run can still participate by publicly wearing the gear or even at home to spread the pro-life message.
A-Cross America Relay seeks “to put holy pressure” on abortion clinics
In an interview with LifeSiteNews, Castle narrated how the A-Cross America Relay began.
Several years ago, Castle learned about Jeff Grabosky, who was completing a rare solo run across the United States while praying at the time, had paused his journey due to a broken stroller wheel. For more than a year, Castle and Grabosky planned a coast-to-coast route and finally launched the inaugural A-Cross America Relay on Palm Sunday 2013. The two strategically searched for abortion facilities and routed the paths there, “to put prayer pressure, to put holy pressure on those places.”
“Without it, we’re not going to complete the largest spanning pro-life event in the world. Without it, it’s not going to be sustaining or healing,” said Castle, who previously stated that prayer “is often enough for a mom to not turn in to that abortion facility.”
The relay significantly boosted LIFE Runners’ visibility, growing membership from 170 in late 2011 to 1,791 by the end of 2013.
In 2015, the relay expanded to include a north-south route, forming a cross over the United States. By 2016, participants could “adopt” 5K segments and run anywhere in the world during the relay period. This innovation led to diverse and creative expressions of the pro-life witness, from Boise, Idaho, where runners connect an abortion facility to a pregnancy help center, to Fiji, where hundreds participate in an all-night walk/run adopting Utah’s segment.
Since then, the A-Cross America Relay has become a powerful movement, fostering public witness, pro-life activism and unity.
“It’s spurring this public witness, this pro-life activism, this unity, this synergy. That’s the awesomeness of this A-Cross America Relay for pro-life,” Castle said.
Last year, the national kickoff started in Manhattan. Other cities included in the kickoff were San Francisco, San Antonio and Grand Forks, N.D. The relays ended Oct. 8, 2023, in Overland Park, Kansas.
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