26.2 x 50: Steve Runs a Marathon in Every State

October 16, 2026 / marniesteve / Leave a comment

Steve has always been a runner. He ran cross country in high school with his buddy Kent Ferris. He ran his first half marathon in the 80s while in college. But his greatest athletic accomplishment, running a full marathon of 26.2 miles in all 50 states, didn’t begin until he was in his 40s.

In 2008 he joined his colleague and friend Steve Hogen for his first out of state marathon in Utah. Work and other commitments limited the time for training, so future races were few and far between. The majority of the 50 marathons were completed after he retired in 2016.

The quest to run in every state led us on an adventure that was shared with our closest friends and family. In Colorado and Alaska, Sam was there to cheer him on.

Kent ran two marathons (Iowa and Illinois) beside Steve.

Our friend Sheri joined us in Hawaii. Gary was there for the celebrations in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Massachusetts.

Our RV buddies Gail and Jeff were at the finish line in Hartford.

The Lawsons joined us in San Diego and San Antonio, where Tina and I did the half while Steve did the full.

Waiting for Steve at San Antonio Marathon

My Dad cheered him on in Prescott for the end of the Whiskey Row Marathon.

Steve’s parents were there in Omaha and Kansas City, and Steve’s mom, cousins and I did the half at the Rock and Roll Arizona while Steve met us all at finish after the full.

Finally, our sweet girl Mia crossed the finish in Steve’s arms at the Cheyenne Marathon. Marathoning is indeed a team sport!

Steve finished his 50th 26.2 mile race in Cape Cod, Massachusetts on October 11, 2026. We celebrated with Gary, Mitch, Lauren, Caleb, and Will with a lobster dinner and plenty of toasts to our Superman.

We’ve polled friends as to what the next challenge should be. Steve doesn’t have any plans to continue racing but he is considering his options . His favorite idea so far is “visit a distillery in every state.” Time will tell what’s next for our runner.

Along the way, people have asked a lot of questions about this venture. Here are Steve’s response to the most frequently asked questions:

What was your favorite race? They are all unique but the New York Marathon, with over 50,000 participants and millions of spectators along the route, stands out as one of the most memorable. Fellow high school principal Greg Milbrandt joined Steve for this epic race.

What was the hardest race Right in our backyard, the Whiskey Row marathon was one of the most challenging. It has over 3,000 feet of climbing at elevations of 5,200 to over 7,000 feet. Steve has finished this race twice.

What was the most beautiful course? The Fly to Pie Marathon in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, run during peak leaf change season, couldn’t be beat.

Were they all 26.2 miles? Actually, Steve’s rule was that the race had to be 26.2 miles or more. Three of the races he completed, Arkansas, North Dakota, and Oklahoma, were considered ultra-marathons, over 26.2 miles each.

You’ve really run 50 marathons? Well, he’s really run over 60 marathons. Those extras include multiple Arizona and Nebraska races, three international marathons (Greece, Iceland, and Cuba), and two races where he did not finish.

We have many race-related photos and will post many of them below, mostly so we can remember each experience more clearly. Steve says thanks to all the people who showed up to support him, who checked in when he struggled through injuries, and who cheered him on via Facebook. The accomplishment is even more sweet sharing it with all of you.

Nathan’s Alaska

June 30, 2026June 30, 2026 / marniesteve / Leave a comment

As we’ve done with nieces and nephews in the past, we offered 16 year old Nathan a trip of his choosing. He chose Alaska. In just a week we hit three National Parks, caught our limit of halibut, and had incredible wildlife encounters.

We met Nate in Omaha, where the boys got in a round of golf before flying to Anchorage. In Anchorage Steve and Nate got in another round. We explored a bit of Anchorage including Costco, Ship Creek and Earthquake Park, where we saw a moose and explored the beach.

Our visit to Denali National Park was via plane. We drove to Talkeetna and enjoyed a spectacular flight into the park where we landed on the Ruth Glacier.

Talkeetna River with Mt Denali in background

We were also able to see the climber’s base camp and Mt. McKinley’s (Denali’s) neighboring peaks, Mt Foraker and Mt Hunter. There’s really no way to describe the majesty of these mountains but hopefully you get a sense from the photos.

Next we headed southwest towards Seward with a brief stop at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. There we got a quick introduction to some of the animals we’d see later in the trip, including the brown bear.

In Seward we spent our time on the water. Our little cabin was steps from Resurrection Bay, which made it easy for the guys to catch their early morning fishing boat. They both caught their limit of halibut and rockfish and Nate caught five cod to Steve’s four. So, Nate won the fishing contest.

Four years ago when we RVed to Alaska, we really enjoyed the Major Marine cruise into Kenai Fjords National Park. As we experienced before, we were able to see a pod of Humpback whales bubble net feeding. This rare cooperative feeding behavior is exclusive to certain Humpbacks and researchers are still exploring how the whales communicate in order to fish together. It’s really quite a site.

On the cruise we also approached the foot of the tidewater Holgate Glacier. These were the highlights though we did see Dall’s Porpoise, Sea Otters, Mountain Goats, Stellar Sea Lions, Harbor Seals, Eagles, and various other birds.

Our final big adventure was a trip to the little-visited Lake Clark National Park and Chinitna Bay. We flew from Anchorage past active volcanoes Mt Redoubt and Mt Iliana to land on the beach of the bay.

After a brief introduction we headed to a large marsh area where more than a dozen coastal brown bears were seen grazing. We watched a mother with triplets guard from attacks from male bears and enjoyed seeing others running and playing.

We stayed for a few hours. Others camped on the beach with the bears.

Seeing bears in the wild is always a thrill and Chinitna Bay did not disappoint.

After a final dinner (and DQ) in Anchorage we returned to Omaha at about midnight for a final goodbye.

Nate got to see and experience things most people only dream about and we were happy to be along for the ride.

Steve’s Spring Race Season

May 13, 2026May 13, 2026 / marniesteve / Leave a comment

Since we’ve settled into our new little home in the Phoenix area, I wasn’t interested in getting back on the road too soon. So, while I stayed home and nested, Steve tackled much of the spring marathon season solo. Here’s a recap on his Herculean efforts.

Maryland #45

First, he flew to Baltimore and participated in the B & A Trail Marathon. The race was conducted on the rail-to-trail path that goes from Baltimore to Annapolis, and he finished the 26.2 mile race in his normal time of about 4 1/2 hours.

New Jersey #46

Three weeks later he boarded a plane to Newark. There he traveled into Jersey City which lies on the Hudson River across from Manhattan. The day before the race he picked up his packet and then enjoyed the views of the city on a beautiful day.

The run through the streets of Jersey City and past the Statue of Liberty was a classic urban race. He finished again at his normal pace.

Oregon #47

Less than a week later he was on a plane again, this time to Eugene, Oregon for the Eugene Marathon. Eugene is the home of the University of Oregon and is known as “Track Town USA.” Since this was Steve’s third 26.2 mile race in five weeks, it was a bit slower. He still finished in under five hours.

Illinois #48

We fit the final spring marathon in during our travels to Michigan for the summer season. The Starved Rock Marathon was held in the town of Ottawa, IL and the race ran through the beautiful Starved Rock State Park, where we also camped. We were joined by Steve’s high school running buddy Kent Ferris and the guys “enjoyed” doing the race together, if you can enjoy running 26.2 miles up and down big hills.

A side note: Kent also ran state #20 in Des Moines with Steve.

With #48 in the books, Steve has just two states left to complete his goal of running a marathon in all 50 states. We’ll hit Vermont and Massachusetts the fall. But first, Traverse Bay RV Resort is beckoning.

On our way north we stopped to see our Baja buddies, Yujing and Jim in Kalamazoo. Yujing prepared an incredible meal of Chinese Hot Pot that was a super fun experience. This is what RVing is all about…the fabulous friends you make and the unique experiences you have along the way. Thanks guys!

Jim, Yujing, me & Steve with hot pot ingredients in the foreground

We plan to spend another summer in Traverse City with our friends, enjoying the lakes, trails, and wineries. Have a great summer everyone!

Marnie and Steve Travel

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Activities

26.2 x 50: Steve Runs a Marathon in Every State

Nathan’s Alaska

Steve’s Spring Race Season