It turns out that it's a lot of running

January 13, 2020 11:25 PM

The idea was simple. Break the speed record for “fastest to ever visit all 50 states” but also run a 5k while in each state.
posted by Literaryhero (11 comments total)

The runner in me reads this kind of stuff and thinks, "how darn amazing!" -- it is a ton of miles, in a lot of different conditions, with some airline travel thrown in for logistical complications and delays. It looks arduous, but also like a lot of fun.

The grew-up-without-much-money in me wonders how much this all cost and why that can't be/isn't part of the story of how five people manage to visit all 50 states in a week with sufficient support that they could do this.
posted by correcaminos at 3:56 AM on January 14, 2020 [5 favorites]

Hawaii and Alaska aside isn't this just a 6 day road trip with lots of food and no hotels? Sounds downright affordable.
posted by Shutter at 4:58 AM on January 14, 2020 [1 favorite]

Hawaii and Alaska aside isn't this just a 6 day road trip with lots of food and no hotels? Sounds downright affordable.

I imagine the van rental must have had some unbelievable overmileage charges on it. It sounds like an awesome trip, but you would need at least a handful of people to do it, just to split up the driving, and I imagine it might get pretty tense by the end.
posted by Literaryhero at 6:31 AM on January 14, 2020

I imagine the van rental must have had some unbelievable overmileage charges on it.

Some places do an unlimited mileage rental. A quick googling suggests some companies have it as the standard option.
posted by Four Ds at 7:39 AM on January 14, 2020 [1 favorite]

I imagine the van rental must have had some unbelievable overmileage charges on it.


it's not the van's mileage I'd be worried about. that's pretty brutal

(fly (road ttravel - 5k - repeat multiple times per day ) repeat every for 6 days).
posted by lalochezia at 7:52 AM on January 14, 2020

It appears they reckon the start times in Hawaii according to the EST timezone of their destination in Vermont. Which is as good a way to do it as any, cuz otherwise you'd get unfair benefit or (in their itinerary) penalty from the timezone differences.
posted by sjswitzer at 7:58 AM on January 14, 2020

I bet the rental company is going to have to write that van off as a loss.
posted by sjswitzer at 7:59 AM on January 14, 2020

It's been making me wonder whether it would have been easier/quicker to try to situate their runs so that they could travel from one state to another by running. For example, traversing Connecticut -> Massachusetts -> Rhode Island in a single 15k run. But I guess that begs the question of whether it's easier to run 5k, cool down, and then run another 5k, or run 10k or more at a go. And they would also have to have a driver moving their van for them.
posted by ardgedee at 8:15 AM on January 14, 2020

It IS a lot of foot mileage (5-10 states each day= between 9ish to 31ish miles each day), plus sitting in cramped spaces when you're not running. Sleeping in the van also means worse sleeping conditions. It's definitely an achievement.

But, geez, the kinds of stuff you can eat when you're doing this kind of running? Not usually the cheap stuff. They'd have stocked up on gels of all sorts, fast-digesting things, electrolytes, all the gear to weather (haha) different conditions.

I'm not saying it's a luxury vacation. But I, for one, would get more out of a piece like this if they would detail what kind of $$ and training (like they acknowledge the intense planning) this takes.
posted by correcaminos at 8:27 AM on January 14, 2020 [2 favorites]

I was hoping that Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah would be all the same day, in a big circle. Alas.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:52 AM on January 14, 2020 [2 favorites]

If they planned it right they could run on the borders and do 2 states at a time!
posted by blue_beetle at 1:59 PM on January 14, 2020 [1 favorite]