Erin Bucci embarks on 1,400-mile Tiger Trail relay

2015 Mar 20

Past and present members of the RIT women's cross country and track and field squad, including Erin Bucci, will embark on a 1,400-mile non-stop relay from Auburn, Ala., to Rochester. Dubbed "The Tiger Trail," this eight-day endeavor will raise funds and awareness for the national Tigers for Tigers (T4T) coalition. They are the first female group on campus to attempt this incredible journey.

The goals of the national Tigers for Tigers coalition are to make a positive impact on the tiger conservation, associate the tiger mascot pride with the tigers of the wild and establish passion for the T4T organization, and create conservation professionals out of student leaders. For more information, visit http://www.t4tcoalition.org.

The runners will start at Auburn University on Saturday, March 21, and head north through Brenau University in Gainesville, Ga.; Clemson University in Clemson, S.C.; the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C.; Towson University in Towson, Md.; Princeton University in Princeton, N.J.; SUNY Cobleskill in Cobleskill, N.Y.; and back to the campus of RIT on Sunday, March 29.

The women will alternate running three miles with six to seven hours rest between each leg. Each stop will be at a college or university that features the Tiger as its mascot, like RIT, or is otherwise affiliated with T4T.

RIT is one of 14 schools involved with the national T4T coalition. There are 56 tiger mascot colleges and universities in North America and the goal of the national coalition is to get all the schools involved to help save the vanishing species.

Tigers of the world are unfortunately heading down the path of extinction within the next decade. There are 3,200 tigers left in the wild that endure threats of habitat destruction, poaching, and revenge killing. However, it is possible to dramatically impact the conservation of these tigers by working together.

"We started with just a rough idea and now it's becoming a concrete reality through the hard work and support of each other, our coaches, our families, and the administration here at RIT," said senior Kaylin Beiter, who is leading the organization of the event. "This run will be something special; it will allow us to raise awareness for a great cause and celebrate the achievements of women in athletics. We're thrilled to be working with T4T on this, and ecstatic to see everything coming together."

The inspiration for Tiger Trail stems from the similar endeavors of the RIT men's cross country teams of 1968, 1979, and 2004. In 1968, the men's cross country team alternated carrying a torch non-stop from Washington, D.C., to commemorate the opening of the present campus. In 1979 and 2004, the men's teams ran coast-to-coast from California to Maryland to commemorate the university's 150th and 175th anniversaries. Both runs took just over 14 days and covered 2,846.5 miles.

Tiger Trail will be different in that the route connects universities that share our common mascot and who support tiger wildlife conservation. This will additionally be the first time an all-women's collegiate group in particular accomplishes such a physical feat. In addition, a handful of RIT women's cross country alumni will participate.

"The passion of our student-athletes involved in this program is nothing short of outstanding," said Sandy Johnson, RIT senior vice president for student affairs. "These women are great ambassadors for the university and we are very proud of what they will accomplish."

RIT is coming off its best season in program history, earning its first USTFCCCA national ranking, while narrowly missing a NCAA Championship bid. The Tigers were ranked as high as fourth in the Atlantic region poll and No. 20 in the national poll.

"This is a very special group of RIT's finest past, present and future runners," said RIT women's cross country head coach Dave Stevens. "I've always felt that RIT attracted women of the highest character and this truly amazing endeavor only fortifies that belief. Their passion, dedication and resiliency towards planning and ultimately completing this objective are qualities seldom found in the youth of today. If anyone can pull off such a monumental feat, it is these women. I am looking forward to the challenges that this journey will bring and more importantly how these incredible young women will react to those challenges."