Washington

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

Marine Corps Marathon

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We have visited Washington DC many times over the years. As kids, with school groups, and for work, we’ve seen the monuments and museums multiple times. Years ago, we were here during Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) weekend and were so inspired. It’s been on our list for a long time and it didn’t disappoint.

The MCM is the fourth largest marathon in the United States with over 30,000 runners from all over the world. The weekend event begins with a large expo where we picked up our race bibs.  We enjoyed the festivities with cheerleaders from the local NFL team, the Washington Commanders. We learned the best way to get to the start line and picked up some fun goodies. 

Trains begin running at 5am on race morning
Go Commanders!
Pre-race photos

At 4:45 a.m. on race morning, we left Cherry Hill Park, our basecamp for the week and headed to the nearest Metro station. After a 30 minute train ride, I got off the train and headed to the 10K start line. Steve rode a few more stops before getting to the marathon start line.

Waiting in the warmth of the Metro station before the race
Sunrise over the Capitol at the start of the 10K
10K start line

By 8:00 a.m. we were both beating the pavement. My 6.2 mile course took me around the mall, into Crystal City, and past the Pentagon, before crossing the finish line at the Iwo Jima Marine Corps War Memorial. Steve ran his 26.2 miles through Arlington, Georgetown, Rock Creek Park, and around the mall before crossing the same finish line as I did. 

Mile 5 of 6.2
Finish line!
Marines award the coveted medals
State #37 (Virginia) Accomplished

The course is lined with supporters, including enthusiastic marines who fist bump and cheer you along. The race is one of the best in terms of organization, support, and energy. For both of us it was a successful event. Highly recommend!

Marines ready with fist bumps
Crowds of supporters at the finish
The coveted medal (and a new hat)

While in DC we did a little exploring. We noticed that security around the White House is greater than it’s ever been. The photo below shows the barricade that keeps the public at least a block away. Who remembers when you could get right up to the fence and almost see in the windows? 

Can you see the White House?

Being in the area of the White House, we had to grab lunch at Old Ebbitt Grill, Washington’s oldest saloon, established in 1856. We also checked out the view from the Old Post office, a historic building with quite a history. 

The back bar at Old Ebbitt Grill
View from the Old Post Office

One new stop for us in the DC area was a visit to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. It’s about a 30 minute drive from DC and a world away. The Academy, established in 1845, prepares young men and women to become professional officers in the Navy and Marine Corps. Notable graduates include Jimmy Carter, Ross Perot, David Robinson, and Roger Staubach. We loved seeing the athletic facilities, the chapel, and Bancroft Hall, the largest college dormitory in the world.

Bancroft Hall
Inside Bancroft Hall
Naval Academy Chapel
Crypt of John Paul Jones

While staying at the closest campground to DC, we enjoyed the park’s weekend celebration of Halloween. Many RV parks have special activities on weekends in October, and our RV parks have been packed on the weekends with families enjoying the outdoors. Cherry Hill had a big celebration that included site decorating contests, wagon rides, and trick or treating. Hundreds of kids and families dressed for the occasion wandered the park collecting candy. We didn’t have costumes, but Bob enjoyed the attention. Have we mentioned he’s a “little girl” magnet? 

Bob is very popular in the campground
Our home on wheels

Leavenworth to Spokane with Santa’s Reindeer

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Sometimes when you travel you stumble upon things you would never expect. Heck, that’s why we travel. But we never expect reindeer to be part of the story. Recently we spent time in Leavenworth, Washington as part of our Pacific Northwest roadtrip. As before we were based at a Thousand Trails campground. This one was quite a drive from the closest town, Leavenworth, but the surrounding area was spectacular. 

While in the area we took a day trip to Chelan, one of Washington’s premier resort towns. On the south shore of Lake Chelan, this town is all about the water. We checked it out, had a picnic, and then found ourselves at a local cidery to try out the local stuff. On our way to this area, about 75 miles from our campground, we drove through miles and miles of nearly ripe apple orchards. The cider, made locally, comes from those fields. Yes, we bought a few bottles to bring home!

One of the big highlights of our time in Leavenworth was a visit to the Leavenworth Reindeer Farm. While normally a holiday event, the local herd was happy to greet us and the local family that runs the farm told us all about the reindeer. Did you know a reindeer is really a domesticated caribou? We were introduced to each and every member of the herd and given a chance to feed them. These were some very friendly reindeer! We even had a chance to meet the farm’s flock of chickens.

Leavenworth is a German-themed tourist town, and it was packed the day we went to explore. In an effort to avoid the crowds, we just hit the local brewery and a nearby winery. We would definitely return to this area as there is so much to do. 

After a few days in Leavenworth we drove about four hours east to the Spokane area. Our first stop was at Walter’s Fruit Farm, a Harvest Host property, which allowed us to park in their field.  Along with one other RVing couple who parked next to us, we enjoyed the beautiful farm views and visited a local brewery that was just down the road. This area north of Spokane is called Green Bluff and has over 20 farms open to the public. Fruit and vegetables of all kinds were available right out of the ground. Too bad we were only there one night!

We heard there was great biking in the area and it did not disappoint! Twice we drove from our Thousand Trails campground to Spokane to explore the 37-mile, paved Spokane River Centennial Trail. The trail begins at the Idaho border and runs through Spokane to Riverside State Park alongside the Spokane River. First we focused on the downtown Spokane portion and took in Spokane Falls and the many bridges that cross the river.

On the second day we headed to Riverside State Park and jumped on the trail again. Views of Spokane and the Spokane River were incredible, and if we had more time, we would have covered more miles on this gem of a trail.

Some folks have been asking how we spend our “downtime” while on the road.  Well, Steve is sticking to his exercise routine and either biking or running from the campsite every day.  That gives me time to write, clean up, or pursue my newest “hobby,” needlepoint! I type that with sarcasm because I really don’t know what I’m doing but it’s been fun to fiddle with something while icing my foot. I can’t say this is going to be a life-long hobby but it’s kept me busy.

We’re headed east into Idaho next. Stay turned for more pretty scenery pictures and probably more reports of breweries!