To assist in motivating the 4th and 5th grade students in their virtual Run/Walk Across America challenge (pacetrek.com/seeusrun), Paul Staso told the students that he would actually attempt to run across the United States between Friday, June 23, 2006 and the end of October if either the 4th grade class or 5th grade class (or both, but not combined) successfully completed their 3,200-mile virtual trek across America by the last day of school on June 9, 2006. The students met the challenge before the end of the school year and Paul's run became a reality. Paul's U.S.A. run was called the "P.A.C.E. Run" (Promoting Active Children Everywhere) and he maintained an average of 30 miles per day on his route across America, taking a few scheduled rest days while on the road.

Aside from fulfilling his promise to the Russell Elementary students, which was his primary reason for running, Paul also wanted the run to encourage children to be more conscious of their health and fitness. Fitness statistics indicate that these are lessons that need to be learned and adopted at a young age in order for children to have a solid foundation for maintaining physical fitness as a regular part of their daily routine as they mature and grow. The route for Paul's run across America followed the same route that the students virtually ran/walked during the 2005-2006 school year, and he shared updates through this web site so that students and others could follow his progress. At the time of the run during the summer of 2006, Paul was 41 years old, the father of four children (at that time ages 6 to 12), and a professional web site developer. He truly enjoyed fulfilling his promise.

Final statistics about P.A.C.E. Run 2006 can be found here