Grandmas Marathon

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.

Our travels through the upper Midwest continue and Steve keeps racking up the races. During the past two weeks he’s finished two more marathons in his 29th and 30th states, and they couldn’t have been different experiences.

First we rolled into Duluth, Minnesota to participate in the highly-acclaimed Grandma’s Marathon. This race is arguably one of the city’s biggest events with over 9,000 runners in the marathon, and we were in the middle of it all. We snagged a camping spot in the parking lot of the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center. Arriving early allowed us park with electrical hookups right on the race course and within walking distance of all of the festivities. The parking lot was quite a party on race weekend!

We were also within a short walk of packet pickup and the expo and just across the street from live music at the lake on Friday night and all day Saturday. Steve took a train from our doorstep right to the start line and finished the 26.2 mile race less than 1/2 mile from our camper’s door. And he finished with a smile on his face in just over four hours! All in all a great weekend.

While hanging out in Duluth we also made the drive up Minnesota’s North Shore. Along the shores of beautiful Lake Superior the drive goes all the way to the Canadian border in about 150 miles.

We just went about 50 miles north and were still able to enjoy some of the highlights including the freighter docks in Two Harbors, Split Rock Lighthouse, and Gooseberry Falls. Steve had seen these attractions when he was a boy and enjoyed comparing this experience to his boyhood memories.

Duluth is a nice city with a beautiful waterfront that includes a lighthouse and the famed lift bridge. We spent several evenings out there watching the large ore freighters pass through the bridge and head out to other Great Lakes Ports. Even Bob and Mia enjoyed Duluth!

Race day was super fun. Lots of energy and Steve enjoyed the run along the coast of Lake Superior. There were a lot of people cheering and tons of energy along the way. Grandma’s Marathon lived up to its reputation.

We hit the road when the race was over and traveled almost 300 miles into Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We made a cool stop in between races, which will be highlighted in its own blog post, but our primary target was Gladstone, Michigan for the MISH marathon.

Yes, Steve did two 26.2 races seven days apart! There wasn’t much to Gladstone except the nice city campground and a lovely concert in the park on Thursday evening. Our main focus was the race. He and about 96 other runners took off to a gorgeous sunrise over Lake Michigan and ran along some coastline before turning inland for 13.1 miles. He made it back to the start/finish line in just over four and a half hours. I also completed the 10K race and got third place in my age group! It was a small event without much of a crowd or bells and whistles, but it was still fun to meet other runners and enjoy the beautiful weather.

We’re both ready for a little R&R, which we are already doing. No more races this summer, but certainly more adventures ahead!

Marnie and Steve Travel

We're retired! Let's go!

26.2 x 50: Steve Runs a Marathon in Every State

Two Weeks, Two Marathons