Michael Azar woke up at 5:30 a.m. on Thursday as he prepared to trek through the Santa Clarita Valley on his way to Acton.
The 27-year-old native of Denville, New Jersey, was selected to run the first segment for MS Run the U.S., an annual ultra relay event with 21 runners stretching 3,260 miles across the country to help raise awareness and funds to help those affected by multiple sclerosis.
Azar first heard about the cause a couple of years ago when a friend participated as one of the runners. His friend let him know about the nonprofit organization recruiting runners for this year’s event and he figured he would apply.
“I thought it’d be a good idea to try to do one of my first ultra runs, especially one of this distance, while also supporting a bigger cause,” Azar said in a phone interview.
MS Run the U.S. was founded in 2009 by Ashley Schneider, with its inaugural fundraising event being a 3,288-mile solo run across the country by Schneider that took six months. Her completion of the run made her the 16th woman to ever run across the country.

The event as it is done today began in 2013 and each of the runners is tasked with running a marathon every day for six days and raise at least $10,000.
The route Azar took through the SCV had him start on Newhall Avenue before diverting north on Railroad Avenue. He then continued north on Bouquet Canyon Road before taking Vasquez Canyon Road up to the Acton area, where his group’s campsite was located.
In total, Azar is scheduled to run for six days and travel 163 miles, taking him from Santa Monica on Wednesday to Barstow on Monday.
He said the first day of running was more flat, which helped, but Santa Clarita’s hilly terrain was more of a challenge. He said he was thankful that Thursday was not quite as hot as Wednesday.


“There were definitely times where it was harder than others,” Azar said. “I definitely recognized the hills, and they’re challenging, but I kind of feel like I was maneuvering them pretty good today. I was cruising both up and down, and then there were just times where my body had to kind of relax and walk it out for a bit.”
A lifelong fitness junkie, Azar typically runs 6 to 10 miles every week. But in preparation for this endeavor, he bumped that up around 150 miles per month for four to five months. That, he said, is on top of his everyday job and a side job as a personal trainer.
And while the preparations may have been tough, it’s an experience that Azar said he’d definitely consider again.
“It’s a lot different seeing the city from your feet,” Azar said. “So, I definitely would consider doing it again. A lot of times they try to get new people to do the different segments, but if it came around again and there was the opportunity, I would absolutely consider it.”
To donate to MS Run the U.S., visit tinyurl.com/4xdnurzm.