By Jessie Taylor

Mike and Tara Myers founded Kissingtour two years ago and have since kissed in 8 countries and 22 states. The mission behind their adventure is simple: To change the way the world sees love.

This Labor Day weekend, Mike and Tara have decided to spend their anniversary running 30 miles along our very own Scenic Highway 30A. These athletic lovebirds from Las Vegas have planned a two-day run along 30A, stopping to pose for and post pictures at popular locations and local businesses.

The Las Vegas natives are used to running in extreme heat (sometimes over 110 degrees!) and compare Vegas to 30A by saying, “we used to run in a sauna — now we run in a steam room.”

While I can imagine that both locations are a bit toasty, at least here on the Emerald Coast we have jaw-dropping views that will keep the Myers entertained during their two-day tour of 30A. Tara and Mike recently took time to give me a little bit of inside info on their lifestyle. They are both vegetarian and very health-conscious, but do not be surprised if you spot them at one of the doughnut shops along 30A. If you are a doughnut connoisseur like the Myers, you might run into them buying their favorites: Tara prefers old-fashioned doughnuts, while Mike goes for iced chocolate. (Always with coffee, of course.)

The couple’s “Kissing Tour” started when they were visiting Washington D.C. They saw couples posing in front of all of the landmarks like you would pose with your great grandfather (aka, a forced smile with minimal awkward contact). Instead, the couple decided to show some true love in front of these landmarks and they began to kiss in their pictures, later uploading them to Instagram. The pictures began to create good vibes (along with tons of followers) and they influenced others to show that open affection and love is a good thing.

Ever since D.C., the Myers have been posting kissing pictures and spreading the love, eventually founding Kissingtour.com. Tara and Mike are both recreational runners who simply “love to get out and see the world from the road.” They enjoy long runs together, exclusively relying on each other for support and encouragement.

“We are each other’s spouse, but it goes far beyond that,” said Tara. “We are each other’s running buddy, guru, trainer, inspiration, cheerleader, soul mate and best friend.”

While on 30A, the Myers plan to greet as many locals, tourists and business owners as they can, but they also have to keep the heat in mind. They’ll be monitoring the weather and posting real-time updates to their Instagram (@kissingtour) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/kissingtour) pages.

They encourage fans to, “give them a honk, wave or smooch for support!” People can even join in for a leg of the run. They won’t be hard to spot — they’ll be sporting kissingtour flags and even some official 30A running gear!

Mike and Tara said that they could not do this project without the help of their sponsors. They are grateful to everyone that has helped them along the way, including New Balance Chicago, Subway, Paradise Fitness, Stinky’s Fish Camp, Bruno’s Pizza, Cowgirl Kitchen, CUP Food You Pick Up, Grayt Grounds, Pop Stop and 30A.com.

If you wish to jump on board with these lovebirds and help them celebrate their anniversary, you can donate at kissingtour.com. The Meyer mantra is, “live big, kiss often” and they’d love for you to join them in their global mission.

Click here for details about their 30A tour, email [email protected] or call 702-885-4672.