People that do half marathons instead of fulls like to call themselves half crazy. The fact is that paying to run 13.1 miles is still crazy. So why not embrace the crazy and run a half marathon in all 50 states?
Status and Race Recaps
Without knowing it, I technically started this journey back in 2012 when I ran the Gopher to Badger Half with my mom. I did a handful of 5ks and a few duathlons while in Minnesota, but it wasn’t until we moved to Cincinnati that I decided to try 26.2. I trained all by myself, finished the Nashville Full, but knew I could do better. So, I joined a running group trained and, as they say, the rest is history.
Even though Race Raves has the automatic color-coded map, I also have a print version. 🙂 After a race weekend, I love crossing off another state. Sort of like crossing off items on a check list. I’m counting half and fulls (and the 13 miles I did during Ragnar) as completions. I still have several more states, but here is a recap of what I have accomplished.
Alabama –2021 Cancelled Rocket City Marathon
Cancelled due to weather, otherwise organized well and lots of swag.- Arizona – Wickenburg Wild West Half
Small, but beautiful race. Out-and-back, climbing almost the entire first half. - California – Napa Half
Beautiful scenery around Napa- great excuse for a girls trip! Swag was a bottle of wine. - Florida – 2022 Zooma Amelia Island Half
Smaller, woman-focused half marathon around quaint Amelia Island. Tons of girly swag and quiet route through state park. - Georgia – Ironman 70.3 Triathlon Relay
Completed 69.1 of the race, by doing the 56 mile run and half marathon. Really fun but a hard, hard race! Relay was a great way to do a triathlon. - Illinois – Chicago Half
Flat out-and-back along Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive. - Indiana – Indy Full & Carmel Half
Indy full is my full PR so of course that is awesome. Very flat. Carmel half was fun too, because the full and half start together. I can’t explain my joy when I said goodbye to my friends running the full and got to jog to the finish. 😉 - Kentucky – Honor Run Half
Hilly and chilly, but SkyLine Chili at the finish line! Good cause. - Michigan – Ragnar (my cumulative miles were over 13, so I’m counting it!)
IYKYK Ragnar is always a blast! - Minnesota – Gopher to Badger Half
My first half and still my PR. Starts in Minnesota, ends in Wisconsin. - Missouri – Creve Coeur St. Paddy’s Half
Out-and-back with one big climb at the turnaround. Beautiful finish around a lake. - Nevada – Las Vegas Half
My favorite half! You run up and down the strip at night with all of Vegas nightlife to see. - North Dakota – Fargo Half
Pancake flat course with great local crowd support. The weather in 2023 was almost perfect! The full and half share many parts of the course but were well separated. #uffda - North Carolina – Asheville Half
All on the grounds of the beautiful Biltmore Estate. I didn’t mind it, but some parts were on gravel. - Ohio – Flying Pig Full & Half (virtual), Queen Bee Half 2018 & 2019
Flying Pig full is a very difficult full, but the half is awesome! 2018 Queen Bee was one of my favorites, because Melanie and I were in a perfect groove. - Pennsylvania – Run for the Elk Half
Out-and-back along a railroad converted trail. Didn’t see any elk though. - Rhode Island – Red Island Half
Small race in a beautiful and mostly flat state park that required 4 loops. Super nice organizers with a full menu of food after the race. Part of a 3-day race schedule in RI, CT and MA. - South Carolina –
2022 Cancelled Charleston Half Cancelled from COVID. 2023 Charleston Half
From historic downtown to boring North Charleston. Very windy that day but decent swag! - Tennessee – Nashville Full
My first full. Took me FOREVER, but I learned a lot. I wasn’t even sore the next day… - West Virginia – Marshall University Full
Hated this race. It’s two loops with nothing to look at and no spectators. I drank beer at one point. - Wisconsin – Eau Claire Half
Well organized and good route! Lots of little neighborhoods with spectators.
Half Marathon in All 50 States Resources
Running a half marathon is no small feet. (See what I did there?) Running a half marathon in all 50 states is even a bigger foot. 😛 So, to help others thinking about taking this adventure, I put together a list of resources that I rely on for research, support and advice.
50 States Half Marathon Club – Paid Membership
There is an “official” 50 States Half Marathon Club with all sorts of benefits, like discounts, group events and awards. The annual membership is $80 and a lifetime membership is $430. I’m not a member, but I’ve only heard great things about the organization. Depending on how many races you’ve done, the lifetime membership might pay for itself with race discounts. They have rules too and would not consider my Michigan Ragnar eligible. My friend who finished a half Ironman, but DNF’d because of time couldn’t count it as an eligible race.
Half Fanatics – Paid Membership
I’m the least familiar with Half Fanatics. Maybe because they are headquartered on the West Coast. Either way, they are an established global organization. Their membership cost is also $80, but only $205 for a lifetime membership. The membership benefits appear to be similar to the 50 States Half Marathon club, but in order to join, you have to complete three marathons in 90 days or two within 16 days.
Race Raves
Race Raves is one of the main sites I use to find and research races. They have a great searchable database that is pretty up to date. You can search by distance, type, location, date, etc. They occasinoally do a contest to determine the top races in each state. Here is the top half marathons in the US.
Each race page is packed with information! It’s easy to take a quick glance and get a good feel for the race. Above is the Eau Claire Marathon page. People submit their ratings, so you always have to take these with a grain of salt. I often look at Race Reports (on the right), that link to blogs – see mine?
I also like the indivudal profile and map on my Race Raves profile. I know no one really cares but me, but I like it anyway. I do sometimes look at other people’s profiles when they have a terrible review. I sorta stalk them to see if they are just a negative nancy or if it was truly a bad race. Or if they’ve only done one race and are a diva. Again with the grain of salt thing. 🙂
Running in the USA
Running in the USA is another fantastic website to research races. The site layout isn’t quite as user-friendly and I’ve found it’s not the most up to date. What I do especially like is their back-to-back search feature. I’ve yet to do a back-to-back race, but want to try it once! There are a lot of close New England states that would be prime suspects for a back-to-back weekend.
For instance, Maine’s Shipyard Half Marathon on Saturday, May 6th and New Hampshire’s Margarita Half Marathon on Sunday, May 7th, 2023. Anyone want to join me?
Facebook Group
There is a free Facebook group 50 Half Marathons in 50 States that I joined. Again, you have to take the comments and feedback with a grain of salt. I do love how Saturday/Sunday/Monday there is a flood of posts about races completed over the weekend.
My Run Community
Last, but certainly not least, is my run community! Even though running is an individual sport, it’s way more fun with friends and family. While I have a list of “preferred” races for each state, I can easily be convinced to do other races. For instance, the Creve Coeur St. Paddy’s 1/2 is definitely not the best in Missouri, but when you have a few friends to go with- why not? Going with others (especially when you can all four share a hotel room) also helps keep the cost minimal.
So I might be crazy or half crazy, but at least I have company. 🙂
