Run America

Run America I was a coast-to-coast journey that started Memorial Day weekend of 2002 in Tillamook, Oregon. As boasted by the local chamber of commerce, the City of Tillamook is the gateway to the area where some of the most beautiful beaches on the Oregon Coast are located. It is also home to World Class Chinook Salmon fishing, with three major bays and seven major rivers.  Our first challenge, the Coastal Range of Mountains that rise up just inland of the Pacific, reached a maximum height of a bit more than 4000 feet!  We soon discovered, however, that was merely a warm-up for much steeper challenges, including the Galena Pass, at 8,701 feet, and crossing over the Continental Divide near the Grand Tetons and Jackson Hole, WY.

The winds of Nebraska nearly blew the memories of soaring Oregon, Idaho and Wyoming mountains right out of our heads, and, as we made it to Indiana, Ohio and then upstate NY (including a stop in Cooperstown to see childhood heroes such as Ted Williams at the Baseball Hall of Fame), we knew the goal could be reached.

The final day was comparatively short at “just” 26.2 miles and followed the famed Boston Marathon route. Much of the group actually ran the whole thing with a detour into Fenway Park, where more than 100 of our friends and family greeted us and cheered on our efforts!

It was an amazing day and overall an incredible event – check out the Flickr photos from Run America I:

Complete Run America I Route: