Cold air and darkening skies did little to slow the pace of the torch runners as they carried their burning beacon through the Roanoke Valley Wednesday.

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A few feet behind the torchbearer came two other runners, their hands firmly grasped around an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of Mexico and of the oppressed and exploited.

The run began on Oct. 12 at the Basilica de Guadalupe just outside Mexico City - more than 3,000 miles from the Roanoke Valley.

It will end at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City on Dec. 12, the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Throughout the trek, runners come and go. Some logging only a few miles, others spending days on the road in hopes that their dedication will bring a message of peace and voice their concerns for the plight of thousands of legal and illegal immigrants in the United States.

Two of the runners - Pedro Arrendondo and Gelacio Vargas - have been with the torch every step of the way.

"It is a way to show my faith and devotion to the Virgin of Guadalupe," Arrendondo explained minutes after arriving at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Roanoke Rapids.

Catholic tradition tells how the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a Mexican peasant Juan Diego.

She appeared as one of the indigenous people of Mexico and spoke against their oppression and exploitation at the hands of the Spanish.

Many believe her apparition and miracles on a mountain side in central Mexico led to seeking a church that spoke out for the oppressed, offered love and compassion and came to the aid and defense of the people.

For Arrendondo and the other runners, faith fuels their steps but they also have a concrete goal - to bring attention to the needs of immigrants.

The torch run is a tradition dating back to colonial times, Arrendondo explained. "The Spanish used torches to light the way for their messengers.

As they conquered Mexico, the tradition was incorporated into our religious and cultural experience."

On the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Catholic pilgrims stream to the basilica to light their candles and torches and then carry "the flame of the Lady home to their churches," he said.

Last year, a New York-based group, the Asociacion Tepeyac sponsored the torch run from Mexico to New York.

In the city, some 2,000 runners come from the five boroughs to carry the torch symbolizing their faith.

"When the invitation came last year to carry the flame and demonstrate our faith in the Virgin, we took it seriously. We started running," Arrendondo said.

"In every town we have new runners. Some come just for a day. Today, some runners came from New York City.

"They will go home tonight and go back to work tomorrow."

Before the runners reach New York City, they will stop in Washington, D.C., to speak out for a proposal before Congress seeking a program giving undocumented immigrants legal standing.

"We are seeking justice instead of racism and a solution for the immigrants who need help," Arrendondo said.

The bill introduced by two Republican lawmakers from Arizona, congressmen Jim Kolbe and Jeff Flake, would extend greater rights and protection from abusive employers, making it easier to enter the United States legally, and help fill labor shortages in industries that pay too low to attract many U.S. workers.

While Arrendondo speaks passionately about his concern for the plight of the immigrants, time and again, he stresses the purpose of the run is to demonstrate the faith of the people in the Virgin and the future.