Montana

26.2 x 50: Steve Runs a Marathon in Every State

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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. 

Running for Blair High
Run the Alamo in San Antonio

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.

Anchorage Mayors Marathon
Aspen Valley Marathon

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

Des Moines Marathon
Starved Rock Marathon

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

Honolulu Marathon
Omaha Marathon

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

Hartford Marathon
Cheering Steve on!

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
Waiting for Steve at Rock and Roll San Diego

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. 

Omaha Marathon
Rock and Roll Arizona Marathon

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. 

In Falmouth MA
Crossing the line for #50
Finish line chowder
Lobster celebration
Steve, Mitch & Will
Caleb, Lauren, me, Gary, Steve, Mitch & Will

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.

New York Marathon
New York Marathon

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. 

Mah Dah Hey Ultra Marathon
Winning his age group at MDH

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. 

Athens, Greece
Havana, Cuba

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. 

Jackson, MS
Huntsville, AL
Louisville, KY
Indianapolis, IN
Gladstone, MI
Duluth, MN
Green Bay, WI
Seattle, WA
Portland, ME
New Orleans, LA
Prescott, AZ
Missoula, MT
Reykjavik, Iceland
Brookings, SD
Knoxville, TN
Asheville, NC
Ft Lauderdale, FL
Fayetteville, AR
Charleston, SC
Severna Park, MD
Coeur d’Alene, ID
Newport, RI
Keene, NH
Rehoboth Beach, DE
Jersey City, NJ
Cincinnati, OH
Tulsa, OK
Eugene, OR
Philadelphia, PA
Arlington, VA

Crossing the USA, Visiting Family & Friends

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The bulk of this summer will be spent at our “new to us” RV lot at Traverse Bay RV Resort in Traverse City, Michigan. However, to get there, we had a bit of a haul from Idaho. Traveling across the country with an RV is certainly the way to go, and we made the most of our cross-country trek by stopping along the way to visit family and friends. 

From Idaho we stopped at Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park near Whitehall, Montana to check out the caves.  Discovered in 1892 by local hunters, these caverns went on to become Montana’s first state park. As one of the largest known limestone cavern systems in the northwest, people have been exploring the caves for over 100 years. However, Lewis and Clark weren’t among them though they did explore in the area. We were glad we took the two hour, two mile guided walking tour that gained an elevation of 300ft, ascended over 100 stairs, and descended over 500 stairs. 

Entering the caverns
Steve braves the cave
Cool formations
Narrow passageways
Yep, that’s a bat maternity ward
Exploring the columns
Large pool of water amidst the rocks

While in the area we checked out a place where Lewis and Clark definitely stopped:  the headwaters of the Missouri River. Steve lived along the river as he was growing up in Blair, Nebraska, and he’s always had a fascination with the river. Now he’s been to where it all starts.

Jefferson River meeting the Madison
Proof!
Headwaters of the Missouri River

As we crossed Montana, we made a stop at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. This area memorializes the US Army’s 7th Cavalry, Crow, and Arikara scouts and the Lakotas, Cheyennes, and Arapaho in one of the American Indian’s last armed efforts to preserve their way of life. Here on June 25 and 26 of 1876, 263 soldiers, including Lt. Col. George A. Custer died fighting several thousand native warriors. It was a quick stop for us and a sobering reminder of the lives that were lost in the battle for western lands.

Men were not the only casualties
Black Elk was a wise man
Custer and others honored here
Sculpture honoring the American Indians lost in the battle

After several more days of driving we landed in Elkhorn, Nebraska and the home of Steve’s brother Brian. During our two day visit we hung out with the kids, spent time in the pool, and celebrated my birthday. It’s always fun to stop at Brian’s house!

Lydia, Nathan, and Steve
Brian and Chanel
Steve, Heidi, and Jarrot
The boys: Steve and Brian
We celebrated with ice cream cake
“Somebody” thought I wanted this for my birthday
Nathan and Elise with Brian on the phone

As we traveled through Iowa we made stops in Corning to visit the cousins, in Des Moines for lunch with our friends Dan and Jackie, and in Muscatine to spend time with Steve’s high school buddy Kent and and his wife Lori. Unfortunately we didn’t take any photos of our night with the cousins but we did remember to snap a few at our other stops. Again, our RV lifestyle allows us to stay connected with so many of our loved ones, and for that we are grateful.

Dan and Jackie
We were in Watermelon Country!
Steve and Kent

We had one more stop before arriving to our new place in Michigan. In Elkhart, Indiana, Steve attended the Lippert RV Owner’s School. For three days he attended classes related to plumbing, electrical, roofs, suspensions, and more. He doesn’t promise to be able to fix your RV, but he now knows more than he did before. 

Ready for school!
Working hard on a wheel

Next we arrive to our new home in Michigan and we’ll have another post soon to give you all those details.

Heading North

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Our summer adventures have begun, and we’re looking forward to sharing them with you. After about a month at home in Prescott we are ready to roll again.

Soon we’ll be crossing the Canadian border with our dear friends Russ and Susan Shoemaker. Together we’ll set out to see Banff and Jasper National Parks in the Canadian Rockies before hitting the Alaska-Canada (ALCAN) Highway. We’ve been planning this trip for over two years. We were booked and ready to go when the pandemic hit in 2020. Now that the Canadian border is open for recreational travel, we’re finally on our way. We hope you’ll follow along!

On our way north we used our Harvest Hosts membership to spend the night at two fun locations. First we stopped at Rowley’s Red Barn in Santaquin, UT. At the base of the Wasatch, it’s a beautiful location, even in the rain. 

Rowley’s Red Barn
Wasatch Range

Next we stopped in Pocatello, ID at the Museum of Clean. It was a clean, level place to park for the night and we enjoyed the four-level museum that’s chock full of everything related to being clean.

Museum of Clean
Golf Clubs made of cleaning tools
Mr Clean

One floor is filled with vacuum cleaners that date all the way back to the 1800s. We also enjoyed the nearby Pontneuf Brewery, which was within walking distance of the museum. 

Really Old Vaccums
World’s Largest Janitor
Pontneuf Brewery

We met up with the Shoemakers in Butte and spent two nights in the old mining town. Our big activity was a visit and tour of the World Museum of Mining.

World Museum of Mining
World Museum of Mining

Our underground tour of the Orphan Girl Mine helped us understand the process of mining over the years and how it impacted, and continues, to impact the Butte area. 

Entering the mine
In the mineshaft
With the Shoemakers
In the shaft
Old Safety Poster
Russ and Susan Shoemaker

The city of Butte really reflects its history in the landscape. We drove around a bit and took in the sights.

Views of Butte
Granite Mountain Memorial in Butte

Soon we’ll begin our trek across three Canadian Provinces and through some of the most remote territory we’ve ever explored. Stay tuned…it’s going to be good!