50 State Club? Maybe...maybe not!!

I love playing with this map tool. When I color in the states that I have ran marathon(s) in I feel like completing the 50 states is a realizable goal, but actually only 20 states are colored blue. When you consider that this map reflects 22 years of marathon running and that I am 53 years old, well...Also, when you factor in my success rate at making it to the starting line due to injury, or my desire to keep running marathons in California...well let's just say it will probably never happen. But it's still fun to play with.

My first marathon was New York City, but I ran it using someone else's bib, so officially I never ran it! Also, I DNF'd at the Mount Rushmore marathon in South Dakota, DOH! I ran the Marine Corps marathon, but officially it doesn't count for DC, which I think is rotten. There are some states that I will probably never travel to, due to lack of interest in running a marathon there, such as Hawaii (heat), Wyoming (altitude), or Georgia (Deliverance).

It's been fun traveling with Kathy Murgas on her quest to complete a marathon in every state. It has been my motivation in researching marathons across the nation for the past several years. I didn't make it to a lot of them with her, but I did manage to make it to New Orleans, Walt Disney World, Boston, Cape May NJ, Steamtown PA, Kiawah Island SC, Fort Collins CO, Hartford CT, Baltimore, and this October, God willing, her 50th state marathon in Newport, Rhode Island.

My alternate goal is to complete 50 states TOTAL, which is a bit more realistic, since my count is at 35 and my marathon wish list has roughly 15 marathons on it. But then again the wish list always has at least 15 marathons on it. I keep adding marathons! Just recently I added Tokyo, Platte Valley Nebraska, and Ventura California. I have yet to make it to Twin Cities, Napa, or Richmond, none of which will offer me the opportunity to color a state in blue. Sigh. Just fun to play with...