It Has Been 12 Years Since I Ran Into The Atlantic Ocean

In just a few weeks -- on October 20, 2018 -- it will be 12 years since I ran into the Atlantic Ocean and completed my solo run across America. In the past, I've written about that adventure, and I've expressed some of the feelings and emotions that I experienced when I finally reached the ocean. Most people who know me, or are familiar with the journey, are aware that I completed the run on the Delaware coast. However, most people don't know exactly where I finished. I actually completed the coast-to-coast adventure after running down a boardwalk extending off of the Cape Henlopen State Park Bathhouse, and here's an aerial photograph of that boardwalk:

On the day that I finished the 3,260-mile run, the beach looked very similar to this photo. It was 11 o'clock in the morning and there was no one on the beach. There had been some light rain that morning, although it wasn't raining when I finished. There was a relatively gray sky which eventually gave way to sun shortly after I arrived at the beach. There were no more than about 15 people who watched me run into the ocean that day -- most standing on the boardwalk. It had taken 108 days of striding 30 miles per day, on average, to cross the 15 states to reach that beach. I didn't actually see the ocean until I started down the boardwalk. Here's what it looks like:

To see that massive ocean after running through the second hottest summer ever recorded in the United States was such a wonderful feeling. I knew that I was going to run right into it!

Yes, it has been 12 years since that experience and my life is far different now than it was back then. That run across America changed me in many ways and will always be a part of my personal history. However, today my eyes and heart are set on the future and with each step I take I'm counting my blessings... daily.

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

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