Lisa Nancollas tries to carry the memory of Cindy Song wherever she goes -- to Pittsburgh and to New York, passing people on the highway and flying to Colorado.
Nancollas wears the missing Penn State student's picture on the front and back of a running jersey with the hope that somewhere, someone knows where she is.
The 38-year-old Penn State alumna from Lewistown said she runs several road races a year in honor of Song, who has not been heard from since the early morning of Nov. 1, 2001. Song was a Penn State student at the time of her disappearance. At that time, Nancollas had a niece and nephew at University Park. She said she was worried about their safety and wanted to do something about Song's disappearance.
"I thought, 'Wouldn't it be nice just to run for her?' " said Nancollas, a registered nurse who works part time examining medical records for fraud. "I travel a lot. I have the opportunity to go anywhere I want, and if I'm able to do that, I can get her name out there."
Soon, Nancollas was wearing a custom-made missing poster on a shirt with Song's picture and the tip hotline.
Abby Diehl, College of Health and Human Development (HHD) director of alumni relations, said Nancollas is one of the most interesting people she has met while working for the college. Nancollas serves on the board of directors for the HHD Alumni Society.
"She is always looking for new physical challenges, whether it be mountain climbing or running marathons," Diehl said. "She also shows a rare concern for all human beings."
Nancollas, who has climbed part of Mt. Everest, started competing in road races in May 2000, when she ran the Black Moshannon 10K near Philipsburg on a whim.
Winning second place in her age division convinced her to keep at it, she said, but spreading the word about Song has given her a new enthusiasm.
At Pittsburgh's Richard S. Caliguiri Great Race in September 2002, someone watching the race said she looked like a "running milk carton."
She said she liked the idea: "I never thought about it that way."
After the race, she heard a woman nearby remark to a friend that she had seen Song's story on an episode of Unsolved Mysteries, which had aired that month.
"That was wonderful that she remembered ... just walking behind me [and seeing the shirt]," Nancollas said.
The case will also be featured in a Court TV documentary on Feb. 27.
Besides running races, Nancollas said she posted Song's picture and information in the side window of her car, so that fellow motorists might see.
"Public attention ... is an important way to keep Cindy Song alive in the minds of people and perhaps encourage someone to come forward," said Penn State spokesman Bill Mahon.
It has been a while since anyone had anything new to report on the case, Mahon said, but some missing posters remain posted on campus, around State College, in bus stations around the state and on the Internet.
As Nancollas prepares for two races next month, she is left with many of the same questions as she had when she began running for Song -- whether the authorities did enough, what more she can do and who else knows something about Song's whereabouts.
"How could someone just disappear with no one seeing her?" she said.
