Labor Day Mile Introduction

On September 7th, 2026 I organized an event to celebrate my completion of running a race in all 50 states. I gave this short speech at the beginning of the race.

Thank you for coming! Your support by being here today and all of the love and encouragement I have received throughout this journey has not gone unnoticed. I know my community and my people have my back and that has been an irreplaceable piece of my treatment. 

I recently read that Strength shows up when your heart wishes to be any place but here. It allows hope to exist beside fear. The fear and the negatives will always be there. I don’t care what you're facing in life. Bad things happen. But we must find the strength to allow hope in. We must search out the positives. Along with friends and family, travelling and running have been my positives. They have given me reasons to get up in the mornings, reasons to suffer through the waiting rooms, nausea, hair loss, and unending fatigue. 

I often get asked for a quick story about my favorite race, state, or experience, First of all, I would honestly love to visit each state again and keep exploring. The United States has so much beauty and diversity that you really can’t go wrong any place you choose to visit. 

Just some statistics: I have run 8 marathons before having kids and cancer. A marathon is a 20 mile run plus 6.2 miles of pure hell. The most notable was Boston in 2009, I barely qualified and it is one my proudest achievements to this day. Most of the races (around 30) in this journey were 3.1 mile races. 

As far as my favorites, they say it’s not about the destination or the journey, but about the people and that has been the case for me. Even though they don’t enjoy running, some of my favorites were those I got to run with my kids. I appreciated them humoring me by joining me in running a few states, including Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Idaho, Vermont, Colorado, and Louisiana. I also have to give shouts out to my other running partners, my sister Anna, who ran 11 races with me, she was even a few weeks pregnant during the Hawaii race; my friend Megan who ran 3 states with me; and my ever supportive husband Travis and parents Barb and Steve who accompanied me more times than I can count. Especially my parents, who entertained kids in run down hotel rooms while I was out running, put in countless miles on the road with me, suffered through rain storms and 100 degree temperatures, and endured a few “quick turnaround” situations where we had to “nap” in a hotel for 4-5 hours before hitting the road again, generally in dark and foggy conditions.

I have more fun facts about the races and states on the back table. I will say I ended this journey with a bang. My wonderful Alaska crew and I really did it up on our trip, visiting 3 national parks, seeing a ton of land and marine wildlife, and all kinds of unique landscapes. The race was probably one of the most difficult 5Ks I ran, with a 1200 feet elevation change and a long uphill climb from miles 2 to 2 ½. A fitting way to end the journey for a self proclaimed flat loving runner from Iowa. 

So, let’s get this race started.

Runners Line up in the front, walkers in the back. This is a 1 mile loop course, follow the arrows. If you just want to cheer others on, feel free to. There is a wooded area with uneven ground and tripping hazards, so watch your step.

We’ll start with a countdown at 10 and then go. If you are in the top 8, you get a prize! Feel free to showcase your best self, charge across the starting line, give hi fives, and do a crazy dance move across the finish line. Have fun.