BALTIMORE — Seven years ago, Lebanon's Ron Newhart set out a goal for himself to finish 50 marathons in all 50 states before the age of 70. On Saturday, 69-year-old Newhart crossed the finish line of his 50th marathon at the Baltimore Running Festival to complete his quest and become just the 1,684th certified finisher of the 50 States Marathon Club.
"I can't describe how incredible it feels to finish at this point," said Ron. "It felt amazing because I knew this was the finish and the 50th, it was incredible."
It’s a seven-year journey that’s required the entire support of Ron's family, all of whom were waiting for him at the finish line to celebrate his big accomplishment.
"I think it was the support of my family [that helped me get through the 50 races], just having everybody say, 'that it was a great thing to do,'" said Ron. "You can see everybody here just came out to help me finish the race, it's awesome."
However, most importantly, it was Ron's wife Patsy that was with him every race along the way.
"I ran through a nor'easter in Rhode Island. I ran in 92 degree heat in Kentucky and having to push through those times was something I didn't anticipate," said Newhart. "I can't describe my gratitude. I couldn't have done it without [my wife]."
It was fifty marathons that Ron and Patsy travelled together sharing memories that included much more than just the marathon courses. It was an opportunity for them to explore parts of the country they have never been to and connect with people they have not seen in years.
The ones where we went to and were able to see some family and friends That was really a lot of fun," said Patsy. "I enjoyed those."
"The best part of it was all the great places we got to see in the US. I mean, we have an incredible country," said Ron. "The other thing that we had to do was link up with people that we knew in all different states, and that some people hadn't seen in 25 or 30 years."
Despite completing his 50 marathon accomplishment, Ron has now plans of stopping running. Seven years, 50 states and 50 marathons later, it's something that is forever part of him.
"I'm definitely gonna keep running. I'm probably gonna scale back what I'm doing, maybe do half marathons, but not nearly on the schedule that I've been working on," said Ron. "Regardless, I'm a 50 state marathon Club member, and that's really cool."
Ron plans on sharing his 50 marathon experience in a book he will call 'My Path to 50 States'.