Reporter staff

The Running Pastor intends to go the distance for a worthy cause.

Mark Joneschiet, a self-described “chaplain at large” in the Auburn area, vows to run 20 miles – from The Kettle Café in Enumclaw to Game Farm Park in Auburn via State Route 410 through Buckley – for the Alzheimer’s Association’s “The Longest Day” event.

Joneschiet will cover the miles on Saturday, raising awareness and funds for the organization. The duration of the sunrise-to-sunset event – an annual event on the summer solstice – symbolizes the challenging journey of those living with the disease and for their caregivers.

For Joneschiet, the event is personal. He runs in memory of his father, who died of dementia.

“My father suffered with dementia before he died. It is a horrible disease,” Joneschiet said. “It robs you of who you are.”

Joneschiet, 59, who has a nonprofit ministry, The Running Pastor, joins a worldwide effort each year to honor those facing the disease.

Alzheimer’s disease is a growing epidemic and the nation’s sixth-leading cause of death. More than five million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, including 100,000 in Washington state, and the number is estimated to grow to as many as 16 million by year 2050, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

To learn more or to donate to the cause, visit runningpastor.net or act.alz.org.