A math problem: The distance by bike from the U.S.-Canada border in Blaine, Wash., to the U.S.-Mexico border in Tijuana along the Pacific Coast is 1,657 miles. If a bicyclist averaged about 220 miles each day, how many days would it take to complete the journey? 

The answer: Seven, but not quite eight, as 4J math teacher Tanner Faris experienced for himself. He demonstrated this not for the benefit of his seventh graders at Kelly Middle with simple division—but through a weeklong ultra-endurance trek that tested his physical and mental limits starting two days after school let out for summer.

“I really enjoy doing things that push me as far as I can possibly go, and then even beyond that. I've found that as I've ridden further and further, there's always a little bit more in the tank,” Faris, who has taught at 4J for six years, told Oregon On The Record last spring. “And I'm just curious to see where that limit is.”

Faris, 33, began cycling seriously after graduating high school. As the distance increased, so did his passion for the activity. He and his partner, MJ, the band and choir teacher at Arts & Technology Academy, toured the Oregon Coast, and he twice competed—and won—the Northwest Bike Nonstop from Bellingham, Wash., to Davis, Calif. (a mere 1,075 miles).

With the arrival of the second of his two children four years ago, Faris came to a realization: He had to quicken the pace if he wanted to continue as an ultra-endurance cyclist while raising a family. The ultimate test of speed and distance emerged for him last fall when he learned that the fastest known time for traveling from Canada to Mexico while hugging the U.S. coastline was 9½ days, a feat accomplished in 2024. He assessed his physical condition, the training regimen needed to accomplish such an arduous task, as well as the average speed and daily distances—never mind the 400 calories he’d need to consume hourly—to surpass the mark. He concluded he had a “good shot” at doing so.

His training rides got longer as fall turned to winter turned to spring. The proceeds from his community fundraising, supported by individual donors and local businesses, grew. Then one month before he started out, his jaw dropped: another ultra-endurance cyclist had completed the route in 6½ days, shattering the fastest known time by roughly 72 hours.

Faris did the math, but was undeterred by the result: to break the newly set 6½-day mark over roughly 1,650 miles, he’d have to average about 250 miles a day for nearly a week. And so on the morning of June 18, with no support team in tow, he started pedaling from the U.S.-Canada border to do just that.

He was ahead of his pace through Oregon, energized by the beautiful scenery and the pride he felt traversing his home state. He kept his energy up with an “atrocious amount” of Winco bulk candy and roadside cat naps. He solved math problems in his head to ward off boredom, his legs always churning mile after mile after mile.

His colleagues at Kelly were tracking his journey from afar. Chris Douma, a colleague whose classroom is across the hall from Faris’, said he checked in on a smartphone app at least a couple times a day during the trek to check Faris’ progress and the live statistics he was generating that math teachers love so much.

The wheels started falling off for Faris north of San Francisco, the end of his fourth straight day pedaling until 4 a.m. Pushed to the limit, he made it to Monterey, Calif., for a 12-hour recharge.

“I needed to sit down and do a mental and physical reset because I had just ran out of matches by then,” he said.

Reinvigorated, Faris reached his goal two days later on June 26 just before 3 a.m., completing the trek in seven days, 19 hours and 56 minutes.

Back in Eugene, Douma said he and other Kelly colleagues were blown away by Faris' accomplishment, and it’s also been a topic of conversation among some students. 

”It’s so unfathomable to see that a person is able to do that,” Douma said. 

But in the wake of his epic ride, Faris said he was bummed that he had been unable to surpass the standing mark. He had finally met a limit that he couldn’t pedal past. Or had he? 

A friend lifted his spirits noting that Faris had far surpassed his original goal—in fact, he had crushed it. And already Faris’ mind is working on his plans for his next summer vacation.

 “I’ll be back,” he said.