Minneapolis runner earns 50 States Marathon Club honors after 20 years of chasing a dream

Micah Grafenstein-Kinzel achieved a personal goal in June, a challenge he gave himself 20 years ago. He can even tell you how many toenails he sacrificed to get there: close to 30.

“That’s a rough estimate,” he said with a smile.

Grafenstein-Kinzel ran a marathon in Helena, Mont., to join a relatively exclusive club of people who have completed a 26.2-mile course in all 50 states.

A plan he hatched after turning 30 and becoming a new father concluded when a large cheering section of family and supporters welcomed the 51-year-old from Minneapolis across the finish line.

An organization known as the “50 States Marathon Club” officially recognizes the accomplishment. Runners can join the club after finishing marathons in 10 states.

Grafenstein-Kinzel became the 68th club member from Minnesota to earn the distinction of completing the full circuit of 50 states. Roughly 1,900 club members worldwide have run all 50, though the number of finishers who haven’t applied for membership to have their feat recognized undoubtedly pushes the fantastic 50 number higher.

Grafenstein-Kinzel’s logbook underscores the undertaking.

Total miles run: 1,310.

Total elapsed time: 173 hours, 2 minutes.

Estimated miles traveled to the 50 states: 56,832.

Pairs of running shoes used: roughly 80.

Cost of completing 50 states?

“Priceless,” he said.

The idea came to him as he was looking for a new challenge.

Grafenstein-Kinzel fell in love with running as a child. He ran Grandma’s Marathon at age 18 and competed in track at the University of North Dakota.

He raced competitively throughout his 20s, with a goal of running fast times. He qualified for the Boston Marathon four times. He also ran the Chicago and New York marathons.

Competitive racing started to become taxing on his mind and body around the same time he and wife Lora had their first child in 2005.

Grafenstein-Kinzel read an article about a retired lawyer from Chicago who had just completed his 50th state. He already had a few states checked off his own list, so he set his sights on the rest.

Iowa was one of his first states. His son Mikolas was 3 months old. A few months later, Mom, Dad and Mikolas traveled to Arizona for a marathon.

Dad’s passion soon became a family affair. The couple had two more sons, and marathons doubled as family vacations. Lora’s parents own an RV and would join them on trips.

“We put a list together of all the places we want to take the kids before they left home [for college],” Lora said. “We mapped out everything to coincide with his marathons.”

The boys — Mikolas (19), Sebastian (17) and Pavel (15) — traveled to more than 20 states. They went surfing in Hawaii and rafting in Alaska.

“I remember traveling every year to see cool places around the U.S.,” Mikolas said.

All three boys were at the Governor’s Cup Marathon in Montana on June 8 as their dad finished his 50th state. Tears flowed through the 26.2 miles. For everyone.

“It’s been a big commitment for all of us,” Lora said. “That’s why I’ve always encouraged him to keep doing it. He is such a good example for the kids.”

Grafenstein-Kinzel doesn’t hesitate when asked his favorite marathon course of the 50: “Big Sur was the most fun,” he said.

The hardest? “Bar Harbor, Maine,” he said. “That was constant hills.”

Strangest? Mississippi in 2017. Organizers cancelled the race that morning because of an ice storm. Grafenstein-Kinzel checked nearby states to see if there were any alternatives. Bingo. Mobile, Ala., had a marathon the next day.

Once ice melted off the roads later that day, “I drove to Alabama and got signed up and ran Alabama,” he said.

Biggest payday? South Dakota in 2006.

“$250 for third place,” he said.

On three occasions, Grafenstein-Kinzel ran marathons on back-to-back days in neighboring states. He did Idaho-Utah in 2012, Connecticut-Rhode Island in ’13 and Delaware-New Jersey in ’14.

“The second day, the toughest part is those first three or four miles,” he said. “They’re just brutal. Once you get past that, you’re OK.”

Grafenstein-Kinzel has no new immediate challenge now that he has crossed the finish line of 50 states.

“I do have an idea,” he said. “Maybe I can run across Minnesota. Forrest Gump-like.”