Man to run 61 miles through Plymouth County

(Photo contributed) Along with Jim Ellis running more than 61 miles, Saturday's Red Letter Festival in Orange City will include a bake sale, art auction and concert series, as well as a run and bike ride from Sioux City to Orange City. Pictured above are leaders of the event (from left): Ellis (run), Rebecca James (bake sale), Nathan Peters (music), Brittany Caffey (bike ride) and Mark Alsum (art auction). [Click to enlarge]

He couldn't bake a pie. He couldn't throw pottery. And he couldn't strum a beautiful melody on a guitar.

But Jim Ellis wanted to help.

So he ran.

Ellis was running while his friends from Northwestern College hosted the first annual Red Letter Festival -- all to raise money for The Bridge in Orange City.

The Bridge is a non-profit, faith-based transitional living program for women and children in need of help due to domestic violence, poverty and homelessness.

"I wasn't good at any of that stuff," the Sioux City man said. "I lived in Kingsley, so I decided, 'I'll just run to Orange City in a day.'"

Three years ago, Ellis ran 32 miles from Kingsley to Orange City.

"Last year I decided I might as well run from Sioux City," he said, speaking of the second annual Red Letter Festival.

This Saturday, he'll run again.

As he jogs the 61.05 miles from Sioux City to Orange City, Ellis will take a tour of several Plymouth County towns and highways, from Kingsley to Remsen to Oyens.

For the first time this year, he sought sponsors for the run, so he could raise money as well as awareness for The Bridge.

"It feels like a part-time job, trying to get people to sponsor you," he said. "My goal this year is just 50 sponsors -- whether they pledge $1 or $100. All the money goes to The Bridge -- from my run and the rest of the festival."

Ellis will begin his run in Sioux City at 1 a.m., making stops in Lawton, Moville, Kingsley, Remsen, Oyens and Carnes before reaching Orange City around 4 p.m. Saturday.

He encourages anyone to join him for a leg of the run -- whether it be a couple miles from Remsen to Oyens, the long stretch from Kingsley to Remsen or even just the final mile into Orange City.

"A lot of times I don't want to do it," he admitted. "The worst stretch is the 17 miles between Kingsley and Remsen -- you don't see many people out there."

"Right before Oyens, I usually just want to stop. But [last year] a bunch of people showed up and joined me and I forgot about all the pain in my body."

Ellis said he did little actual training for the run last year. "I ran 2 miles the week before," he said. "For me, I think it's all mental."

"Sometimes I'll run every other day and sometimes I'll go for a month without running," he added.

A soccer player in high school and at Northwestern College, the Colorado native explained how he got started running.

"In seventh grade, I remember going out to the track after school and running around that 2 mile loop almost every day," he said. "I mostly just wanted to be in shape for soccer."

His senior year of high school, he told some friends that he was going to run a marathon. They told him he wouldn't be able to do it.

He laughed. "I had to prove them wrong. So I ran my first marathon my senior year and got first place in my division."

And he's been running ever since, he said.

Ellis, who lives in Sioux City and works as the middle school director at Sunnybrook Community Church, calls running his outlet.

"I either listen to whole albums of music -- I love listening from beginning to end -- or I love to just think," he said.

Lately, his ideas have focused on the Red Letter Festival and ways he and others can continue to improve this community-initiated fundraiser.

"It's kind of crazy," he said. "Everyone just having the heart to do something together and just feeling like we're doing something [productive] rather than just sitting on our bums."

In addition to his run, Northwestern alum Brittany Caffey will bike along the same route, beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday. Several people are running in other countries to raise awareness for The Bridge.

At the festival in Orange City, volunteers will host a bake sale and art auction and an afternoon and evening of music will be featured.

All activities will be at Trinity Church, which is located at 310 Albany Ave. N.E.

Musicians include Tina Haase Findlay, The Benedict Affair, We Are Vessels, Cadence to Arms and Bloodless Dragons.

"The whole idea of the festival is the red letters of Jesus," Ellis said. In some Bibles, the words Jesus speaks are printed in red ink.

He referenced the Bible passage in Matthew 25 where Jesus says, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

Some bake, some create art and others make music.

Ellis runs.

"This is what I can do to help out and to raise money and awareness," he said.

2009 Red Letter Run Schedule

1 a.m. Leave Sioux City for Lawton (9.04 miles)

3:15 a.m. Leave Lawton for Moville (6.72 miles)

5 a.m. Leave Moville for Kingsley (9.45 miles)

8:15 a.m. Leave Kingsley for Remsen (17.16 miles)

11:30 a.m. Leave Remsen for Oyens (5.56 miles)

1:30 p.m. Leave Oyens for Carnes (7.46 miles)

3 p.m. Leave Carnes for Orange City one mile mark (4.66 miles)

3:45 p.m. Run final mile into Orange City

For more details on the run visit http://redletterrun.blogspot.com/ and for more information on the festival, visit http://www.redletterfestival.blogspot.co....