San Francisco → Washington, D.C. · Sep 15 – Nov 3, 2026
5,000 km across America for President Valdas Adamkus’ 100th birthday
Lithuanian ultramarathon runner Aidas Ardzijauskas is running from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. – through 11 states, more than 100 km a day – carrying a Lithuanian flag signed by the President. The goal: reach Washington by November 3, President Adamkus’ 100th birthday.
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Team and partners
Who is on the road with him?
Embassy of Lithuania to the US
The initiative is supported by the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania to the United States.
Lithuanian Sports University
Aidas is a student at LSU. The university, whose honorary doctor is President Valdas Adamkus, supports the challenge and follows it scientifically.
Film crew
Director Rimvydas Čekavičius and his crew are filming the entire run – a story about people, Lithuanian identity and the road across America, to be told in a documentary film.
Sponsors and partners
From the road
News
Every day Aidas and his team share stories, photos and videos from the road. All updates come straight from Aidas’ Facebook page.
18-year-old Ada Gorecki was riding near her grandparents’ ranch, right by Highway 50, when she spotted our crew rolling across lonely Nevada.
To the young woman of Polish descent, the Lithuanian flag looked both somehow familiar and unusual enough, so she decided to find out who we were.
Once we met, dinner and a night at her family’s ranch were inevitable. Such hospitality!
Read on Facebook →Approaching the town of Ely, we ran into a problem we had hardly faced on this run so far – a strong headwind. In the Nevada desert, where the road is straight as a string, there is nowhere to hide from it… But we keep running, moving and getting closer to the third state on our route 👌
Read on Facebook →Along Nevada’s endless straight roads…
Read on Facebook →The mission
A living bridge between Lithuania and America
A President’s centennial
On November 3, 2026, President Valdas Adamkus turns 100. The run is a gift to a man whose life has bridged Lithuania and America.
The signed flag
All the way, Aidas carries a Lithuanian flag signed by President Valdas Adamkus – from the Golden Gate Bridge to Washington, D.C.
Lithuanian communities
Along the way Aidas meets Lithuanian-American communities, Lithuanian heritage school students and organizations. Everyone is welcome to join him and run a stretch together.
“May your road across America become a living bridge between Lithuania and the life story of Valdas Adamkus.”
The San Francisco Lithuanian community, seeing Aidas off
The route
From the Pacific to Washington, D.C.
- San FranciscoStart · September 15
- Denver~2,000 km
- Chicago~3,600 km
- Washington, D.C.Finish · by November 3
California · Nevada · Utah · Colorado · Kansas · Missouri · Illinois · Indiana · Ohio · West Virginia · Virginia
~5,000 kmtotal distance
100+ kmevery day
~55 dayson the road
From +40 °Cin the Nevada desert to snow in the mountains
Moments
From the road
Run with Aidas
Your support covers the RV, fuel, safety team and film crew. Any remaining funds will go to the Alma and Valdas Adamkus Charity Foundation.
You can also simply share – the more people who know, the stronger this bridge becomes.
Media
In the media
- 15minNevados „desertas“ ir karinės bazės pašonė: prasidėjo bėgimas „vienišiausiu Amerikos keliu“ (in Lithuanian)
- 15minValdo Adamkaus garbei Aidas Ardzijauskas pradėjo bėgimą per Ameriką (in Lithuanian)
- LSUDaugiau kaip 5000 km per JAV: LSU studento iššūkis Prezidento 100-mečiui (in Lithuanian)
- Vakarų vėjaiRun in Honor of Lithuanian President Adamkus 100th Birthday
Live
Where is Aidas now?
Aidas’ position is updated automatically from his SPOT GPS tracker.