It took 11 years, more than 60 pairs of running shoes and a whole lot of pain and suffering – not to mention travel. But Randy Grant, Linfield professor of economics, has run a marathon in all 50 states.
Grant ran his 50th marathon (26.2 miles) in Hartford, Connecticut, in October, crossing the finish line in Linfield gear with Darcy (Gard) Miante ’08, his former trainer. Also running were Grant’s wife, Susie, and Miante’s husband, Bill. Marci Klimek ’10, a Linfield cross country record-holder, finished first in the women’s category at the race and qualified for the Olympics Trials.
Grant’s journey started in 2008 during a January Term class in Australia when he expressed his ambition to improve his health. Miante, an athletic training major, offered to train him. A decade later, the two have remained friends and Grant has incorporated running into his research and book projects. In addition to the marathons, Grant has run a few ultra-marathons, more than 60 half-marathons and numerous shorter races.
“Your brain is telling your body to quit,” says Grant, who has run 59 marathons in total, achieving his fastest time, 4:02:36, during the 2011 Portland Marathon. “You have to convince yourself that you’re not going to die and continue to push yourself.”
Next up is the Boston Marathon in April. Grant is working to raise $10,000 to earn his Boston running bib as part of Team Red Cross. Learn more by emailing rgrant@linfield.edu.
– Alexandra Feller ’21
