Since 1967, members of Pearson House have made a relay-style run from the steps of Beardshear Hall to the steps of the state capitol building in Des Moines to deliver a formal invitation to the Governor’s office inviting him to attend the Veishea celebration.

“[It’s ] a fun event, a great way to represent the residence halls and be a part of the Veishea celebration,” said Devin Shephard, a senior in chemical engineering. This year is Shephard’s third year taking part in the event that has occurred annually for the past 29 years.

“We’re not really sure how it got started,” Shephard said, but it has been going strong since 1967.

The team of runners from Pearson house included: Shephard; Chris Solberg, freshman in pre-engineering; Aaron Turnbull, senior in mechanical engineering and math; Dominic Punelli, a freshman in pre-construction engineering; Andres Pereira, a sophomore in industrial engineering.

Other runners included Mike Harris, a junior in architecture; Jaysen York, a freshman in electrical engineering; Jeremy Hill, a freshman in liberal arts and sciences; Oscar Espada, a sophomore in sports management; Rafael Perez, a junior in political science; Rafael Reyes, a junior in animal science and David Cayon, a junior in mechanical engineering. Cayon was also the driver of the support vehicle.

These students left the steps of Beardshear at 9 a.m. this morning. Martin Jischke sent them off with a hand-signed letter, and the 12 runners divided the 30 miles to Des Moines equally. The runners arrived on the steps of the capitol building at 12:09 p.m., with a time of three hours and nine minutes.

“Back in the 80s our floor had a lot of track guys, and one year they finished in about two and a half hours,” Shephard said. Despite this year’s slower finish, the runners from Pearson House seemed pleased.

Upon receiving the invitation, the governor signed the baton, upholding the 29-year tradition.