Life Outside Spring 2019 - 7

THE NUTCASE

RUN
EVERY
ROAD

Sam Lev estimates it will take him two years to run all of
Roanoke's streets. He welcomes other runners to join him
and show off their neighborhoods.

H

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED how many miles

of streets crisscross the City of Roanoke?
Sam Lev, competitive runner, dog dad and
director of programs and operations for LEAP
for Local Food knows exactly (well, as exact
as the City of Roanoke is willing to estimate)
how many: 600 miles. Lev intends to run
every single mile, each inch of Roanoke's
asphalt and concrete, brick and gravel, on
his own two feet.
A life-long runner originally from Atlanta,
Lev moved to the Roanoke region in 2013
where he immersed himself in the local
foodways as a market and delivery associate
for Good Food, Good People. While in Floyd,
he volunteered as the assistant coach for the
Floyd High School track and cross country
teams and even began to dabble in ultra
marathons, in addition to his usual mix of
shorter road races. After moving to Roanoke
proper, Lev continued to race but, by 2017,
in his own words, had "become weary of
the road 5K."
The idea for Run Every Road was born as
most good ones are-in the shower.
"I live in a grid in Raleigh Court and always
wondered how long it would take to run the
neighborhood," Lev says. "Then one day, I
realized that I could do bigger sections of
non-overlapping road."

NAME
Sam Lev
AGE
33
JOB
Director of Programs & Operations,
LEAP for Local Food
FAVORITE LOCAL RACE
Draper Mile
INSTAGRAM
instagram.com/RunEveryRoadRke

BUILDING MILES
Sam Lev, here running in downtown Roanoke, says the idea to
run all of the city's steets came to
him in the shower.

Out of that casual shower thought, an
even bigger, community-focused project
began to take shape: to run every single
mile of the city's public streets and meet
local runners along the way.
It's not the easiest challenge, either to
plan or to execute. Although he tracks his
runs with Strava and maps each new street
on a Google Map, it's nearly impossible to
accurately determine how many new miles
are run each day. For example, some sections
of streets are dead-ends and must be run
twice, and intersections, run over and over,
do add up. But the beauty of this quest lies
in the adventure, not the stats.
"This is really my way of experiencing my
next level of intimacy with the city," he says.
"I want to know Roanoke from the eyes of
the people who live in other places and get
together with the people who live in other
neighborhoods and run with them."
Although the project is merely a few
months old, Lev isn't rushing things, which
is the point. He runs without earbuds and
music, consciously savoring each new and
familiar segment, noticing small details

like historic stamped bricks, neighborhood
plaques and murals. There's no deadline
for the project either. Lev estimates that it
will likely take him two years to run every
street, and he's continuing to run and train
outside of the project as well, logging only
two-three runs per week as "official" Run
Every Road runs.
Using Instagram to document his runs
(you can find him @RunEveryRoadRke), he
then shares his experiences with an online
audience, using the social network to reach
out to potential running mates. If you
want to show off your neighborhood, Lev
would love to hear from you and encourages
anyone who wants to get involved to
message him.
"I'm guilty of running the same three
routes every week and never getting outside
of my comfort zone," he laughs, but then
pauses, turning thoughtful. "That's what's so
great about this. It isn't about getting from
point A to point B. It's an opportunity to
experience Roanoke more intentionally and,
hopefully, inspire others to do the same."
-JES GEARING
LifeOutsideMag.com // Spring 2019

7
http://www.instagram.com/RunEveryRoadRke http://www.LifeOutsideMag.com
Life Outside Spring 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Life Outside Spring 2019
