Photo courtesy of Pastor Donald Kirschner

By Steve Sears

A possible tornado warning was in the forecast, as were potential thunderstorms. Then there was the sometimes-unpredictable New Jersey traffic to contend with and, finally, a lot of miles to run.

Still, Pastor Donald Kirschner of Montville United Methodist Church in Towaco, which serves both Boonton and Montville, rose at midnight on Monday, May 16, 2022 for his mission: to run for 24 hours. 

A tornado didn’t make an appearance, the sky peeled a few times with thunder but rain never came, and Kirschner, 30, was unhindered by traffic or horns blaring, and his run came in a bit under a full day total.

However, what did happen was a run of 18 total hours for “The Running Relayer,” a personal-best 80 miles covered, and – most importantly – over $3,000 raised for Relay for Life. Kirschner, who was originally raised in both California and Texas, has been with MUMC for four years, and runs under the initiative of “Cross Country Clergy.”

“I was training for this as if I was training for a 100-mile race,” Kirschner says. “For me, my average mileage was I was running between 45 to 55 miles a week, and the longest training run I ever did was 33 miles. In terms of the route, I was hoping to run it at RVA (Rockaway Valley Aerodrome Fields) the entire time, just to have all 24 hours there, but in talking with the township, they usually don’t let people there beyond sunrise or sunset.”

Kirschner started his run at 12:30 a.m. and the purpose of it was delivered prior to his lacing on his sneakers. “It was meaningful for me to start at the (Whitehall Methodist Church) cemetery. The day before I started this run, a woman in our congregation came into church crying, and she had just heard literally as she pulled up into the parking lot that her friend had died of cancer. A couple days before that, I’d heard that one of our congregant’s parents had died, and that was from cancer. I can’t tell you how many stories I heard from people who were touched by people who’ve died from cancer or are struggling with cancer as I prepared for this run. So even as I was running, there were a lot of people on my mind and heart, and especially as I was circling just the cemetery those first three and a half hours in the midst of the darkness even before sunrise. We believe hope is shining and the light is going to come, but we’re mindful of all those who’ve died from cancer, and we’re honoring them and praying that those who come in future generations will have a greater chance to beat this as we continue to advance in our research and response to this disease that has hit so many people.”

After running around the (Whitehall Methodist Church) cemetery loop near the Montville church where he lives, Kirschner took backroads and did eventually meet with Route 202. He reached Montville’s Lake Valhalla at 5 a.m. “I was passing the Lake Valhalla area and someone was playing Janis Joplin’s Me and Bobby McGee as loud as can be, which I thought was interesting – and then I curved around Taylortown Road, and I went all the way up from Taylortown to get to RVA, which is a hilly and kind of curvy road. Once I arrived at the Rockaway Valley Aerodrome Fields in Boonton Township, I was off the road completely, so it was a very safe place.” While at RVA, he ran for over 13 ½ hours and 50 miles.

Kirschner is proud of his accomplishment, and it’s about running and giving back at the same time. “Anytime I can use something I love and get great joy from it, the more I want to find outlets to do that,” he says. “It’s giving in the ways you’re wanting to make an impact, but it’s also being in the sense that you’re being filled up as you’re enjoying the journey along the way. This is the start of a much longer journey in terms of the race, figuratively and literally, before me. I’m excited for what my running can do.”