Teacher runs over 100 miles to raise money for students

A Virginia teacher recently ran over 100 miles to raise money for student scholarships, and she says she doesn't have plans to stop running or fundraising anytime soon.

"I do this out of love," Kate Fletcher, 51, told ABC News. "I get to give scholarships to students, oftentimes [whom] I've actually taught … kids that I really care about, and I want them to know I care about them, and this is one more way to show them how much we, as a community, care."

This isn't the first time Fletcher, an English teacher, has run 100 miles for the Lion Pride Run, an annual event at Louisa County High School in Mineral, Virginia, where she has been instructing students for the last 20 years.

Fletcher, who said she loves to run, started the annual tradition 10 years ago, and in the last decade, the run has evolved from an all-day loop around the school track to longer-distance runs outside town. The longtime teacher said she would be running regardless, but getting to do it for a cause she's passionate about is the cherry on top.

"The fact that I'm doing it for the kids of this community is really what inspires me and keeps me moving," Fletcher said. "And then, I would add that the beauty of running, all those miles through Virginia, was inspiring in its own way. I ran through just absolutely beautiful countryside and then through the city of Richmond."

Accompanied by a team from the Louisa County Sheriff's Office, Fletcher started running through each floor of Louisa County High School in Mineral on Monday morning, where students and staff lined the hallways to cheer her along.

Part of Fletcher's route took her along the Virginia Capital Trail. She said she encountered many animals along the rural paths and saw plenty of bright stars in the night sky. She also ran with friends in Richmond before she finished over 20 hours later on Tuesday morning at Jamestown Park in Jamestown, where British colonists established the first settlement in the U.S. in 1607.

"We wanted to do something to celebrate the 250th birthday of the U.S.," Fletcher explained.

Fletcher was back at work Wednesday and said she was excited to see her students and see the financial support from community members.

"I definitely have some blisters on my feet. I'm a little sunburnt, but overall, I feel really grateful that I'm up and at 'em. I'm at work, I'm walking," she said.

This year, Fletcher and the team at Louisa County High School have raised over $12,000 for multiple scholarships in an ongoing online fundraiser. Since 2016, they estimate more than $120,000 has been raised to support students pursuing a college education or a professional trade, she said.

Fletcher said through her epic runs, she wants students to know they're capable of "going the extra mile" in whatever they set their minds to.

"I hope they realize that they can always go farther than they probably think that they can, that they can achieve more in whatever field or interest they're pursuing, that they can go that extra mile, that they didn't know they had in them," Fletcher said. "And that people care about them."