RACEROVE

The challenge

Run a Race in All 50 States

The 50 states challenge is exactly what it sounds like: finish an organised race in every state. Some runners do it with marathons, many with half marathons, and plenty with whatever distance fits the trip. It usually takes years, and that's the point — it turns running into a reason to see the whole country.

Right now RaceRove lists 8,876 upcoming races with a confirmed date across all 50 states and Washington, DC, including 1,828 half marathons and 649 marathons.

Track your 50-state progressRead the planning guide
States and DC with races
51
Upcoming, date confirmed
8,876

How the challenge works

Nobody owns the challenge, so the first job is to decide your own rules. If you'd like a club to certify your finish at the end, read that club's rules first — each one defines for itself which distances and events count.

  • Pick a minimum distance and keep it for all 50 states. Changing the standard halfway is the most common reason people re-run states.
  • Count official finishes. A published result is dated, public and easy to prove years later.
  • Decide about Washington, DC. It isn't a state, but many runners add it as stop 51. RaceRove lists races in Washington, DC on their own page.
  • Decide whether past races count. Most runners include races they finished before they started the challenge.

Find a race in every state

Each state page lists its upcoming races, busiest cities and race calendar.

Choose your distance

Most 50-state runners settle on one minimum distance and stick to it.

Planning your 50 states

Fifty separate trips is the slow, expensive way to do it. The runners who finish tend to plan in clusters and seasons:

  • Group neighbouring states into one trip. Every state page links to the states that border it. The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic are the easiest places to collect several states in a few days.
  • Follow the weather. Save northern and mountain states for the warmer months and use winter for the South and Southwest, when their calendars are busiest.
  • Schedule the scarce states early. States with short race calendars leave you fewer weekends to choose from, so build those trips around specific races.
  • Treat Alaska and Hawaii as holidays with a race attached, and book them well ahead.
  • Keep records as you go. Log the date, distance and result for every state while you still remember the day.

For the full method — rules, regional clusters, seasons, budgeting and the mistakes to avoid — read How to Run a Race in All 50 States. If half marathons are your distance, how to choose a half marathon covers picking races for a 50-state project.

Guides

50 states challenge: common questions

What is the 50 states running challenge?
A personal goal to finish an organised running race in each of the 50 US states. There is no single governing body: runners set their own rules, and several clubs certify finishes under rules of their own.
What distance do you have to run in each state?
That's up to you unless you want a particular club's recognition, in which case that club's rules apply. Marathons and half marathons are popular choices, but any distance can be your rule as long as you apply it to every state.
Does Washington, DC count as a state?
It isn't one of the 50 states, so it isn't required. Many runners add it as a 51st stop, which is why RaceRove gives Washington, DC its own page.
How long does it take to run a race in all 50 states?
It depends entirely on how often you travel to race. Most people spread it over many years, fitting a few out-of-state races into each year.
How do I keep track of the states I've finished?
In RaceRove, mark each race as completed and the 50-State Progress map fills in automatically. You can also keep a race journal and a medal wall alongside it.

Track every state you finish

Mark races as completed in RaceRove and your 50-state map fills in as you go, alongside your journal, medal wall and race budget.

Open the progress trackerBrowse all states