Annual torch run passes through Gallatin en route to game

Missouri Valley College’s annual torch run passed through Gallatin early Oct. 17. Pictured is Joe Knapp receiving the torch. This was the 34th year for the run which celebrates the college’s homecoming. The Missouri Valley College Viking football team played the Graceland College Yellowjackets on Saturday, Oct. 18, and lost 35 to 22. The run began at Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa, and ended at Missouri Valley College in Marshall. A group of MVC students, faculty and staff members carried a torch, in relay fashion, to Marshall and met up for a Friday night bonfire and pep rally. There were about 90 runners, consisting of six teams. Each runner covered a one-half mile segment. Each team covered about 25 miles. The runners continued in that fashion until the 155 mile trek was completed in Marshall. The first torch run occurred in 1958. Every year since 1970, the torch run has been a tradition at the college and is coordinated by Prof. Ed Leslie. [Staff Photo/TLH]