Thirty miles, 12 hours and over $4,000 raised. This Sunday, nearly 200 students from eight schools walked across the length of Rhode Island to raise money for malaria prevention.
The annual event began three years ago when six friends from Brown, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tufts University and the New England Conservatory decided to walk across the state as a challenge for charity. Each year, more and more students — from six to 27 to 114 — took part in the trek from the state’s western border to its eastern one. And this year, that number skyrocketed to 180.
“What was originally a bit-turned-fundraiser now has snowballed into something much larger,” said Xavier Bell, an MIT student and one of the original founders of the walk who has participated every year.
Since the original six have graduated, this year the baton was handed to Jeffrey Pogue ’27 to organize the walk. Pogue, who is an avid walker and leader for the Brown Outing Club, wanted the event to be “as big as possible.”
“It was a lot of postering,” he said. “I had people reaching out to their friends.”
The planning for the event was “very chaotic,” Pogue said. While 260 people signed up, only 180 showed up to Faunce Arch at 5:45 a.m. An extra bus had to be turned away.
Participants who raised at least $50 by soliciting donations from their family and friends were rewarded with a wooden cut-out of Rhode Island, laser-engraved with the trail, according to Pogue.
After a quick group stretch session, a photo was taken, and the walk began at the Connecticut border.
At mile zero, spirits were high. Students were munching their first granola bars of the morning, and singing call-and-response shanties.
Sadie Hoiland ’28 said she was “feeling pretty good.” But, she was also just hoping to “make it through” — she woke up feeling sick that morning, but “chugged an orange juice” before the walk.
After being convinced by her roommate to join the walk, she figured it would be a “new and unique” way to spend her weekend.
“I think it will be a really cool experience,” she said. “To one: say that I have done it. And two: support charity.”
The first few miles were mostly wooded trails. Fall leaves crunched underfoot, and the narrow paths occasionally gave way to running streams and small farms.
Courtesy of Maya Nelson
The first few miles were mostly wooded trails. Fall leaves crunched underfoot, and the narrow paths occasionally gave way to running streams and small farms. At mile five, a bakery stand on the side of the road tempted many walkers with its fresh-baked sourdough.
“This part of the state, the very western part, is the most beautiful,” said Romi Bhatia ’28. “Excellent forest. Some light hills. I love it.”
Bhatia, who had participated in Brown Outdoor Leadership Training over the summer, is no stranger to long walks. He had independently come up with the idea to walk the state, and when Pogue found out, he enlisted Bhatia for help with outreach and planning.
“I’m definitely hoping to meet new people, especially from other colleges, and get their perspective on what life is like,” Bhatia said.
Next year, Bhatia hopes to play more of a role in organizing the event. “I love leading outdoor trips and just helping people have that experience,” he said.
By mile 10, groups had begun to spread out. Muddy trails turned into paved roads, with many of the houses already decked out for Halloween. Several walkers stopped at a farm offering free samples of coconut pie.
Just after noon, the rain began. A light drizzle was going as the first walkers reached the designated rest stop — a Subway just south of Johnston. When the rain picked up, a couple of walkers called Ubers to head home.
But after much-needed nourishment and another round of stretching, most of the crowd started gearing up for the home stretch, only a half-marathon away
For the rest of the journey, walkers could enjoy concrete sidewalks instead of the road’s shoulder. Farmhouses became parking lots which became multi-story shopping complexes. At mile 23, the rain was coming down hard and steady.
“This is familiar territory,” Bell said. “My feet hurt. My legs hurt. But there’s always great company on these walks.”
During the first walk in 2022, Bell said he had thought, “It’s gonna be hilarious in two months, but it sucks right now. I don’t know why we ever decided to do this.” Even though he has since graduated, Bell plans to keep on doing the walk for years to come.
“We’re all very proud that so many people have decided to take this on,” he said. “That we left something behind that can persist whether or not our names are attached to it.”
With five miles to go, Julian Cohen ’26 decided to stop by Brown to recharge before continuing the walk. To pass the time, Cohen and his group had “just been talking.”
The rest of the walk was a straight shot through East Providence. While some walkers finished just before 5 p.m., for most, the sky was darkening as they crossed the bridge past India Point Park.
The light at the end of the tunnel: a highway sign that read, “Entering Seekonk, Massachusetts.”
The light at the end of the tunnel: a highway sign that read, “Entering Seekonk, Massachusetts.”
Courtesy of Maya Nelson
Next year, Pogue hopes the event will continue to get bigger and better. He has a vision: hundreds of participants, road closures and official t-shirts.
The event not only gives participants the opportunity to have a “crazy experience and have these memories,” Pogue said, “but also to have done something really powerful.”
Maya Nelson is a university news and metro editor covering undergraduate student life as well as business and development. She’s interested in studying either English or Literary Arts and loves to read sci-fi and fantasy in her free time. She also enjoys playing guitar, crocheting and spending an unreasonable amount of time on NYT Spelling Bee.
