Pick up Sticks

Last year the Magnolia Town Fair held their annual Pick-Up Sticks competition. Each contestant had to pick up 100 sticks. The sticks were laid out in a row, one foot

apart. The starting line was one foot from the first stick. The contestants were required to pick up the sticks, one by one and return each stick to the starting line before getting the next stick. The sticks had to be picked up in order; the first stick, then the second stick, then the third stick,..., and finally the 100th stick.

Starting Line

How many feet did each contestant run to pick up the 100 sticks?

Reference from Greenes, Carol, Linda Schulman, Rika Spungin, Suzanne Chapin, Carol Findell. Mathletics: Gold Metal Problems. Providence RI: Janson Publications Inc., 1990. p. 75.