JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Students from a Jacksonville elementary school plan to walk across America -- sort of.

Over the next two months, students from Pine Forest Elementary will attempt to cover the more than 2,300 miles it would take to get from Jacksonville to San Diego, but they'll do it without actually going anywhere.

The children were excited to kick off their trip on Friday. Some walked and some ran as they began their virtual journey to across the country.

The students will wear pedometers to keep track of the distance they walk each day. They're hoping that in two months each class will collectively travel the distance between the east coast and the west coast.

"We thought, 'Walk across America.' We looked on the Internet and we saw a bunch of other schools doing it, and we found the I-10 path from Jacksonville to San Diego and thought, 'Let's do it,'" said PTA member Tiffany Villacortaburer.

The unique project was started by some parents in the PTA who said they saw a need for more physical education in the school.

"They only get 30 minutes a day. I mean, 30 minutes a week with the coach, but there's a 150 minute requirement from Tallahassee to be physical," Villacortaburer said.

Teachers will also feature the walk in the students' lesson plans.

"They're going to be learning facts about the states. They're going to be reading stories about the states. They're going to be calculating the numbers of their steps," said guidance counselor Melissa Hammond.

The virtual trip will also give the students a head start to a healthy adulthood.

"We're teaching them about the cardiovascular system -- how to eat right, what not to eat, what not to drink. We're actually instilling in them to live for life," said physical education teacher James Menchan.

Some students have already caught on to that message.

"It's very important to exercise because if you don't ... your heart won't be healthy," said one student.

Some of the students who were really excited about their Walk Across America -- along with a few teachers -- will participate in the Junior River Run and run a mile.