By mail, this weekend, I received the Autumn 2025 Newsletter from the 50 States Marathon Club—Volume 24, Issue 3. I flipped to page four and found the column announcing Club Marathon Reunions. There it was: the first reunion of 2026, scheduled for February 1st in Jacksonville, Florida, at the Donna Finish Breast Cancer Marathon.
I couldn’t attend last year’s end-of-year reunion, where my 50 States Trophy would have been presented. At the time, I was in the middle of biopsies and diagnostic medical appointments, travel, especially to Columbus, Ohio, was simply not possible. My focus then was not celebration.
Reunions are where finisher trophies are awarded and teammates who have completed the 50 States journey gather, some for the first time, others having walked this road more than once. They are moments of recognition, of closure, of standing together.
And now, here was a reunion close to home, anchored in a cause that lives at the very center of my story now. I didn’t hesitate. I emailed the crew and told them I would be there. I have also registered for the 5K. I will receive my 50 States Marathon award there, surrounded by people who understand exactly what it took to earn it.
I’m looking forward to seeing teammates who may have wondered where I went, and why I disappeared from social media when the 50 States Journey ended. The truth is, I never stopped running – I am just now running a different race.
Journaling was Recommended 