Steve and Nancy March have completed the Western States 100-mile Endurance Run a combined 13 times, but the Cool couple will embark on a much longer journey this week.

The couple will kick off their “Long Walk” this morning, a 367-mile trek along Highway 101 that begins at the California/Oregon border and will end at the Oregon/Washington border two weeks later.

“Nancy and I wanted to walk across a state and initially we were going to walk across a state back east, maybe a smaller one, but because of travel time and everything we weren’t able to do that,” said Steve, a member of Del Oro High’s first graduating class in 1963.

Their daughter, Tanya Eilersen, lives in Hubbard, Ore., making the Beaver State a natural choice for their hike.

“She said ‘as long as you’re going to walk that far, why don’t you direct it toward a cause?” Steve said.

Eilersen’s son and the Marches’ grandson, seven-year-old Nick, was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis at age 3. There is currently no cure for the children’s tumor disease, which often causes motor skills complications.

The Marches hope to increase awareness and raise money toward a cure for the disease. They’ll sport bright chartreuse singlets with the letters “NF” during the walk.

“The car that’s going with us is going to have magnetic signs on the side,” Nancy said. “We’ll also have cards that we will give to anybody that asks us what we’re doing.”

The Marches plan to cover the length of Oregon in 12 days, with two scheduled rest days. They’ll need to walk an average of slightly more than 30 miles a day.

“We’re excited for it to begin, but yet we’re nervous,” Nancy said.

They started training for the journey on Aug. 2, walking as far as Foresthill and Rocklin.

“Our feet started burning up in the summer time because it was so hot,” said Steve, who has completed Western States twice. “We were getting heat rashes on our legs.”

Nancy, an 11-time Western States finisher, said they plan to walk between seven and nine hours each day.

“It depends on the weather, and the days are getting shorter,” she said. “We’re going to have blinker lights, because Western States isn’t on the road like this is. We’re not used to the cars.”

Steve, 64, and Nancy, 62, have been running for more than three decades. Steve scored the first touchdown in Del Oro football history and became the first graduate to return to teach at the school in 1968. He coached sports and taught at Del Oro for 39 years.

“This is just something new,” he said. “We’re looking forward to the challenge of it. It’s going to be tough. We think it’s going to be fun really. We’re hoping that we can at least have one day of sunshine.”

For more information about Nick’s disease or to donate, visit . The Marches will be blogging about their walk along the Oregon Coast at http://www.thelongwalk2009.blogspot.com.