Students from Sunrise Middle School are invited to participate in the California 500 Mile American Indian Spiritual Marathon, which follows the tradition of early Native American runners who were messengers. This multicultural group of individuals has training runs each month, and is dedicated to preserving the tradition of spiritual running. The message the runners carry is, “All Life is Sacred.” In June, the team runs across California in its annual 500 Mile Spiritual Marathon, a non-competitive relay where teams of runners participate in a running prayer by carrying a sacred staff. The emphasis of the events is not only running ability, but spirit.