They're going the distance. One-hundred-ninety-five miles, to be exact.

Nine Penn State students — undergraduate and graduate students alike — along with three of their friends from around the country, are training to compete in the Hood to Coast relay race this summer.

Imagine running through the night with the risk of getting lost in unfamiliar territory.

This is just one of the many situations this team, the Kickin' Rubber Chickens, may experience in a race that will last about two consecutive days.

But in North America's largest relay race, with 1,000 teams competing from around the world and 12 members per team, the chances of getting lost alone are unlikely.

The race is designed to divide the mileage among relay members. Every team participant will run three legs, each equivalent to five-and-a-half miles, with 36 legs total.

This leaves each person with a recovery period of roughly ten hours after running the individual leg before beginning the next leg. A team order of runners is established and maintained throughout the race.

Preparation for the intense activity includes building endurance through a specific running schedule.

"We run every day with one day off. Five days out of the week are medium runs lasting about five miles, and one day is a long run lasting about eight miles," said Kara Joy Novogradac (junior-recreation and park management).

Training is not identical for every runner and the group has been preparing since January, when the group was accepted into the increasingly popular race.

"We're approaching it as if we're training for a marathon, which is typically a six-month period, but training is very individual-based," team captain Michael Van Dolah (graduate-leisure studies) said.

Not only is the race a physical challenge, but it is also a serious time commitment.

Since the race occurs during the summer, plans must be made around the race and the travel period surrounding it.

"I had to pass up a job in order to meet the standards of running in the summer," Danielle Gumbert (senior-marketing) said.

The race takes place on August 24 and 25. It begins in Portland, Ore., at Mt. Hood, and finishes in Seaside, Ore., on the beach.

Another aspect the group anxiously anticipates is the opportunity to travel to a different area and compete.

"Despite being tired, the energy of the crowd and the competitors along with the environment will help," Van Dolah said.

Although the environment may act as a motivator, it could interfere with the runners' focus as they adjust to new surroundings.

One of the specific challenges the course itself will provide is the constant change in elevation runners will experience as they travel over cascade and coastal mountain ranges.

The Kickin' Rubber Chickens have run previous courses that included mountain terrain in the Tussey Mountainback relay race.

The Hood to Coast Relay gives this group of friends another chance to run as a team and accomplish yet another challenge.

"It's going to be the last time to be with my friends after graduation," Gumbert said.

The atmosphere of the race will be blended with a mix of worldwide personalities and cultural identities.

"We're going to meet some amazing individuals," Novogradac said.

Currently, the group is trying to raise money to pay for plane tickets. They plan to fundraise by providing information to local businesses and by publicizing their Web site. The money derived from fundraising will be donated to the American Cancer Society.

The runners are looking ahead to how they'll feel as they cross the finish line.

"Because we will have prepared for so long, to finally feel the payoffs of the training will be amazing," Van Dolah said.

For Gumbert, the most rewarding part of the experience is realizing what a high goal she has set and that she has the chance to actually accomplish it.