How it all started…
We are two of three sisters who set a goal to run a half marathon in all 50 states! We didn’t even know we had started this adventure until we were already on it. In June of 2019 Delilah asked me if I wanted to run a half marathon in a different state because she would be out of town for the Kansas City half. I immediately responded “Yes!” and was thinking in the back of my mind “Maine would be a cool place to go, but I’ll let Delilah pick because this was her idea”. She sent another message a few minutes later that read, “How about a half in Maine in September?”. It was obviously meant to be! When we were in Maine for the Bar Harbor Half Marathon, I casually mentioned that some people try to run a half in all 50 states. We both like a challenge so this idea really stuck and we decided to go for it!
We cannot wait to share the stories of our 50 state half marathon challenge with you! We hope to inspire and encourage others to set goals and have the dedication and discipline to do what it takes to accomplish them.
MaryLynn
Hi guys! I’m the oldest, shortest, sister in our family. I started running my senior year of high school when I rocked the boat by joining the cross country team instead of playing volleyball. I had never run more than a mile in my entire life, but the summer before my senior year I followed my coach’s running plan and logged about 250 miles. I loved the way I felt after I got home from a run – sweaty, but so satisfied with what my body was capable of. I still love running for that same reason; it makes me feel strong and in control of my future. My mentality is that if I can run a half marathon, I can do anything!
In college I started going on runs with friends and they encouraged me to run longer and longer distances. Finally, I was convinced to sign up for a half marathon. I still remember my first 12 mile run and how proud of myself I was for pushing my body to the limit. Since my first half in 2013, I have run about one each year or 7 total. I ran my fastest half in under two hours (1:55), but my times have consistently gotten slower since graduating from college. I’m still learning how to balance my career with my overall health and well-being and running is a huge part of that! I’m excited to start shaving down my times again while training for the 50 state challenge!
I am not a professional runner, but I am thankful for the opportunity to share my passion for running through the stories from our 50 state half marathon challenge. I hope that it will inspire you to lace up your running shoes for the first time or set a new goal for yourself. If we can do this, so can you!
— MaryLynn
Delilah
Hello, friends! I am the middle sister and hopefully still the tallest. I did not enjoy running until last spring. MaryLynn’s birthday is in May and for her 25th birthday, I decided to sign her up for the 2018 Kansas City Half Marathon. The surprise was that I signed myself up too! Before this, I had never even run a 5K, so I’m still shocked I did this. Despite my lack of running experience, I thought it would be fun for us to catch up on the weekends during long runs and I knew the gift of quality time would mean more to MaryLynn than the registration fee. What I was not expecting, was to fall in love with running and for it to fill a gap in my life that I didn’t realize was there.
I am a goal-oriented person, so after I graduated from college, I no longer had this tangible goal I was working towards. At first, it felt like freedom, but it didn’t take long to feel like I was a little bit lost. Now I had a training plan, if not a hobby. So, the same week I signed us up for the half, I started going for short jogs around my neighborhood and found it to be a fun way to explore a new city. I slowly built up my endurance and as my endurance grew, so did my love for running!
My goal for the half marathon was to finish without walking. I was so proud when I accomplished this goal and loved the exhilaration of hearing my name as I crossed the finish line. This was almost one year ago, and I have since run two more half marathons. Now I’m focused on improving my times and, of course, running a half in each state!
— Delilah