I turn 40 in September of next year and really want to treat myself to something special. There is usually a Marathon/10K in Cape Town, South Africa that can be booked as part of a tourism group called Marathon Tours and Travel. It is most definitely on my bucket list for the 10K. Yes, I'd like to run another marathon but just can't do it now. I can barely finish a half nowadays. For 2020 however, the date of the Cape Town race has been moved to October. There is NO way that I can do both South Africa and Hawaii (November) in the same year. I'm warming up to the idea of finishing in 2020 instead of 2021. At the rate that I am declining, I may not be able to run half marathons 2 years from now so there is a sense of urgency to finish this challenge as soon as possible. We'll see how it shakes out with my work schedule but it seems doable.
January or February-
Costa Rica. No race here. Purely for fun. I need to get a passport that allows for air travel.
April- Salisbury or Ocean City, Maryland. This is a 3 or 4 day trip so nothing epic. I could fly into either Baltimore or Philadelphia. Baltimore is a little closer but only by about a half hour and Philly could allow a meet up with a friend. Stops will be made in VA Beach, Richmond and Point Lookout, Maryland.
May- Cottonwood, Utah. Again, nothing too long here. I'd like to go to Twin Falls in Idaho and see Moab/Canyonlands after the race. Probably another 4 day affair.
June- Fergus Falls, Minnesota. I fly to Fargo and the race is less than an hour away. The side trip here is Winnipeg, Manitoba and Moose Mountain Park in Saskatchewan, which would take me up to 9 Canadian provinces. Only Newfoundland would remain. Probably a 5 day trip but there is a built State holiday so that means only 2 days off work.
July- Spearfish, South Dakota- Key attractions here are Mt. Rushmore, Black Hills and Badlands NP but this can be done in just 3 days because they are close together. No need to visit Regina, Saskatchewan or even leave South Dakota if I hit Moose Mountain the previous month.
September- Bar Harbor, Maine. I may or may not go to Quebec City. I've already got Quebec checked off after my visit to Montreal and Gatineau. If I skip it, this could be a quick trip. I fly to Bangor then it's only 1 hour to Bar Harbor so it's just a 3 day trip.
November- Honolulu, Hawaii. That's number 50. I'd want at least 5 days including 2 for travel.
Thoughts:
4 in 4 months could be tough. I may just have to choose 2 out of 4 for the year. Any flexibility? Yes, there are several other options in Utah as well as an alternative in both Minnesota and South Dakota. Maine can be pushed back to October. Salisbury and Ocean City, Maryland are both in April but the former is in the early part of the month while the latter is later.
I suppose that I could go to Hawaii and make it state #48 then finish in 2021 as originally planned. Sure, I'd like to make Hawaii #50 but I also want to go somewhere really special after I turn 40.
Any thoughts?
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Hawaii for #50 would be pretty cool (as opposed to Iowa, which will be my 50th state)!
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