‘VANNONBALL RUN’ — CROSS-COUNTRY ROAD TRIP RAISES MONEY FOR HURRICANE RELIEF

a red van is parked in the desert
Visit vannonballrun.com to follow along as the crew travels from the northwest corner of the country to the southeast corner and ends in Key West, while raising money for hurricane relief. CONTRIBUTED

Anyone old enough to remember the 1981 movie “Cannonball Run,” starring everyone from Burt Reynolds and Jackie Chan to Farrah Fawcett and Terry Bradshaw will get a kick out of this.

Welcome to Vannonball Run, a 4,800-mile cross-country “run” that raises money for hurricane relief.

The event is sponsored and coordinated by the Storyteller company, which reinvented and grew the overland, adventure travel and vanlife experience. 

Traveling in one of Storyteller’s 2024 MODE XO vans, Storyteller co-founder Lee Conn left the northwest corner of the country on Oct. 30 and is heading for Key West with stops along the way to raise money for the American Red Cross for victims of this year’s devastating hurricanes.

Unlike the ’80s movie, speed is not a factor in this trip, and in fact, Conn’s van, like most Storytellers, is equipped with a full bath, bedroom and kitchen – so Conn will arrive in Key West, 4,866 miles later, well-rested, well-fed, fresh and clean.

Storyteller is inviting participants and its community to donate a penny for each mile, equaling $48.66.

The “overlanding” and van life community is invited to join in on the Vannonball Run fun in three ways: online, meeting up along the route or by joining the overland caravan. The Vannonball Run welcomes all participants — trucks, RVs, overland rigs, the family truckster, e-bikes — any mode of adventure. Storyteller is providing live location updates on its Instagram, Facebook and X pages.

“I am so stoked to be taking on this journey across the country,” Conn said. “The power of adventure has no bounds, and Vannonball Run is the perfect expression of that. We’re bringing along our incredible community, and raising money for a cause that is near and dear to us at the same time. It’s sure to be an unforgettable experience.”

Along their route, the crew will visit the lowest U.S. point in Death Valley and the highest pass reachable through the Rocky Mountains, and everywhere in-between. The run will embrace the true Storyteller mantra: live free, explore endlessly and tell better stories.For more information visit vannonballrun.com, or follow the route on social media by visiting @StorytellerOverland on Instagram and @VannonballRun on X. Donations to the Red Cross can be made directly via Run for Relief.