Lithuanian runs through Sanpete to honor his president

BySuzanne Dean

MT. PLEASANT—A Lithuanian runner passed through Fountain Green, Moroni and Mt. Pleasant on Thursday, Oct. 1 on journey of approximately 3,100 miles aimed at honoring a former president of Lithuania, uniting Lithuanian communities in the United States and serving as the subject for a documentary.

Aidas Ardzijauskas, a 56-year-old ultrarunner from Lithuania, runs along what appears to be S.R. 132 near Fountain Green on Oct. 1. He ran through Fountain Green, Moroni and Mt. Pleasant as part of Run Across America.
Aidas Ardzijauskas, a 56-year-old ultrarunner from Lithuania, runs along what appears to be S.R. 132 near Fountain Green on Oct. 1. He ran through Fountain Green, Moroni and Mt. Pleasant as part of Run Across America.

The runner in a project called “Run Across America” is Aidas Ardzijaukas, 56, a former fire fighter, who, according to Julius Bliudzius, producer of the prospective documentary and spokesman for the trip, “is one of the best-known and most experienced ultrarunners in Lithuania.”

Aidas (he likes to use his first name because his last name is difficult for Americans to spell and pronounce) is dedicating the run to Valdas Adamkus, a one-time runner himself.

Lithuania became a puppet state of the Soviet Union in 1940. The initial occupation was characterized by mass arrests, deportation and suppression of political and cultural institutions. The country regained its independence in 1990.

During the Soviet period, Valdas Adamkus, a civil engineer, immigrated to Chicago, where he worked in environmental protection and is credited with helping clean up Lake Michigan.

After independence, he returned to Lithuanian, where he served as the elected president from 1998-2003 and again from 2004-2009. The former president turns 100 on Nov. 3. As he runs, Aidas carries a Lithuanian flag signed by President Adamkus.

Aidas started his run at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, where, according to spokesman Bliudzias, he received a warm send-off from the Lithuanian community of California.

His goal is to run 50 to 55 miles per day and to reach Washington, D.C., his destination, by mid-November. He has to avoid freeways, because running is not allowed on those.

So far, his route has taken him across central California between Sacramento and Nevada. From here, he connected with U.S. 50, the legendary “loneliest road in America,” which continues into Delta in Utah.

“Our general corridor is San Francisco to Denver to Chicago to Washington, D.C.,” Bliudzius says.

He reached Sanpete County on the 16th day of his estimated 60-day run. According to Bliudzius, at the end of each day, the Run-Across-America team stays in the nearest RV park.

“What impresses Aidas most,” spokesman Bliudziuz says, “is how sincere and helpful people are along the way. In Nevada, after a day of running, we were invited to a ranch for dinner. In Utah, people constantly stop to ask if they can help in any way and leave water by the roadside for us.”

Lithuania is on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Latvia, Belarus and Poland.