20 Years Since I Ran 3,260-Miles Solo Across the U.S.A. at Age 41

Twenty years ago today, I started a transcontinental run at Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach, Oregon... heading for the Delaware coast. I averaged 30 miles per day for 108 days while pushing a 65-pound jogging stroller loaded with gear, food and water. That 15-state journey included the Rocky Mountains, the Great Plains, and the Appalachian Mountains -- all to promote youth health and fitness. Now, at age 61, I'm looking back on that adventure and remembering all that I was feeling on that first day.

Actually, the first day was one of the easiest of the entire journey. I ran 22 miles from the Oregon coast to "Camp 18" on Highway 26. It was an 88-degree day with only 443 feet of elevation gain. My journal entry for June 23, 2006 included this:

"What a wonderful first day of this trek... The weather was perfect, with sunny blue skies and only a slight breeze. I gathered some sand and water in a small jar from the Pacific Ocean as a keepsake and then said a few words to those who had come to the start. After hugs and handshakes, it was time. I began the run with my four children (ages 6-13) running alongside me down the beach a ways to where the beach access ramp was. After getting the stroller ("Bob" - short for "Beast of Burden") out of the sand, I had to empty the sand from my shoes before beginning. Then I took off down highway 101, waving goodbye to family. It was definitely a day of varying elevations. The road seemed to either be going up or down, with very little flat ground. Getting up the coastal mountain range was like an initiation into this trek... I stopped for lunch at mile 11, taking a 1/2 hour to enjoy some shade. I then continued on the narrow coastal road where there was often either a very narrow shoulder to run on, or no shoulder at all. After running 22 miles, I stopped at Camp 18... It was a challenging first day with plenty of traffic heading to the coast for the weekend (I run facing traffic). All in all, it was a good day and this journey is now underway."

I remember that first day so vividly. I had waited so long to start the run across America, my first attempt in 1986 at age 21 being a failure. To succeed 20 years later, in 2006, was such a blessing!

You can click here to see various statistics and details about my solo U.S. run.

Gotta Run,

Paul J. Staso

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Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek

Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:

• United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
• Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
• Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
• Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
• The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
• Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
• Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
• Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
• Some Cycling Moments From The Past

Sometimes Great Accomplishments Are Considered a "Non-Story"

Yesterday, I read at the Runner's World magazine website -- at the top of their news page -- that a man plans on bear-crawling the 26.2-mile marathon distance. A lengthy article, complete with photos and a video, were included. However, in 2006 when the editor of Runner's World magazine's youth edition learned of the Russell Elementary students' virtual run across America (and my promise to do the run for real if they succeeded), she pitched it to the magazine's lead editors for a full-featured story. She later contacted me and reluctantly shared that the senior editors told her it was a "non-story." I couldn't believe it.

Two individual fifth grade classes of 48 students each virtually raced each other over 3,000 miles across the United States by logging miles at school... over the course of 9 months (nearly 3 marathons per child)... becoming the first classes in the U.S. to document such an accomplishment... and I (as promised) set out to run their actual route for real over the course of 108 days on the pavement alone... and all of that was considered a NON-STORY in the eyes of the Runner's World magazine editors in 2006. Yet today, 14 years later, they run an in-depth story about a guy who wants to bear-crawl a marathon. I simply shake my head in disbelief.

By definition, a non-story is information that is of no importance or of no interest to anyone. Unfortunately, the 2006 editors at Runner's World magazine felt that the accomplishment of those 10- and 11-year-old students wasn't interesting and that its readers would not be intrigued or inspired by what the young runners did... or my stepping out to keep a promise by actually running the 3,260-mile, 15-state route. In the past 14 years since, I have yet to read any story like it.

Two months after I finished running across America, Running Times magazine published an article through its website titled "Chasing a Promise." It explained my solo USA run and the running accomplishment of the students. Two months after that -- in February 2007 -- Runner's World magazine acquired Running Times magazine and all of the content at the Running Times website was pulled over to the Runner's World magazine website. As a result, the "Chasing a Promise" article can now be found at the Runner's World magazine website, even though it was written by a Running Times writer before the acquisition. In short, Runner's World never did report on the students' accomplishment and didn't want to write about the promise I made to 96 fifth graders. Surprising! Even The Washington Times reported on it!

Before Runner's World magazine called the students' accomplishment and my promise a "non-story," I had subscribed and read the magazine since 1977. However, I am no longer a subscriber.

From Him, Through Him, For Him (Romans 11:36),

Paul J. Staso

_______________________________________

Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek

Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:

• United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
• Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
• Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
• Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
• The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
• Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
• Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
• Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
• Some Cycling Moments From The Past

"Oh, You're That Crazy Runner!" -- 14 Years Later, I'm Not That Guy.

"Oh, you're that crazy runner!" It was 14 years ago today when those words would become quite common for me to hear. It was on this day back in 2006 that I began my solo run across America. Most thought I was crazy. Many predicted that I would fail. I'm not sure if it was a combination of crazy and determination, or just plain luck... but somehow I succeeded at that adventure. Now, 14 years since I took that first step away from Cannon Beach, Oregon I can say with absolute certainty that I am not that man any longer.

Not only did I retire from extreme running in 2016, I also packed away into the far recess of my attic the trusty BOB stroller that endured every step with me. If you've followed this blog for any amount of time, you know that I've written about a number of emotions, experiences and struggles concerning that 15-state adventure. Here are just a few (click on any titles to read the blog posts):

• How Hard Was It To Run Across America?
• Statistics For My 3,260-mile, 108-day Solo Run Across America
• It Has Been 10 Years Since I Ran Into The Atlantic Ocean
• "Run Forrest Run" -- Words That I've Heard Countless Times!
• Words Over 3,200 Miles In The Making
• Keeping A Promise -- What Does That Look Like In Action?
• 10 Years Since My Solo Run Across America
• Why I Don't Coach Others On How To Run Across America
• Want a FREE Pair of Socks? Just Run Across America!
• If I'm a Freak, Outsider or Oddity -- So Be It!
• Running Across America... and Experiencing a Hallucination!
• A Never-Before-Seen Video From My 2006 Solo Run Across America
• Have You Ever Had The Words "Get a Job" Yelled at You?
• To Me, It's Not "Just a Hat." In Fact, It's a Significant Reminder.
• The Best Sun Tan of My Life... And The Most Dangerous!
• Chasing a Promise -- Coast to Coast!
• One Result of Running Across America is Seen in Leg Transformation
• Summer 2006 -- A Journey, A Sacrifice, A Victory, A Painful Memory
• The Cost of Joining the Ranks of Coast-to-Coast Runners and Walkers
• My Run Across America Required 2½ Billion Pounds of Pressure
• Is Keeping a Promise an Unrealistic Goal?
• Make Good on a Promise? Preposterous!

Recently, my wife and I watched several of the videos at my YouTube channel from the various adventure runs. I watched those videos and had a mixture of emotions. I am pleased with what I was able to accomplish and with each picture and video I recalled the numerous emotions I experienced in order to successfully complete each journey. I look at myself in those videos and see a different man -- a man who was personally struggling in several ways, and not just with trying to run across a state or country. My life had been one that was rooted in perseverance... enduring... simply reaching for the future, for the next milepost. I am not that man any longer.

I'm posting this video at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time, which is 6:00 a.m. on the west coast. That is the time that I opened my eyes in Cannon Beach, Oregon to begin that solo U.S. run. As I post this writing, I can't help but to reflect back to that morning... the emotions I was feeling... the uncertainty that was in front of me. Today, my life is no longer uncertain. In fact, I have a peace and contentment that I never imagined I would experience. I am happy, I am whole, I am peaceful, I am blessed.

I no longer live under a running cap. My eyes are no longer shaded by sport sunglasses most of the day, and my legs no longer look chiseled and deeply tanned. I am not so incredibly thin and no longer have to wear an ID bracelet in fear that someone may find me injured or dead along a highway. I am no longer reaching for life's horizon with a feeling of loneliness. I am fortunate, I am thankful, I am wiser, I am complete.

From Him, Through Him, For Him (Romans 11:36),

Paul J. Staso

_______________________________________

Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek

Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:

• United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
• Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
• Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
• Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
• The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
• Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
• Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
• Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
• Some Cycling Moments From The Past