Inspired by the idea behind Megan’s clever blog Forty by Thirty, I’ve been trying to think of a theme I could do to spice up my running goals for 2012 and beyond. I’ve seen people running with “50 Marathons in 50 States” shirts and Megan has talked about it in the past, but I never really considered it before.

I’ve only finished four so far, so 46 more before I turn fifty probably isn’t logistically (or financially) feasible. Fifty marathons before fifty is probably more realistic. I do like the idea of researching and planning all of those trips, though, especially since I haven’t been able to travel for fun much the past three years.

When I started writing the list of states, there really aren’t a lot that jump out. Hawaii, Oregon, New York, Texas and Massachusetts are easy; some of the others will take more research (see the full list below).

With Boston moving the goal posts again, it will probably take me a few more years to get a qualifying time. If I started running more than 2-3 a year, though, it might happen quicker. It will be tough to not run Grandma’s and Twin Cities every year, but I’d probably have to save that money for other races. We’ll see…

Since I’m still grandfathered in for the New York City lottery, I’ll be running that in 2012 or 2013 and I’m thinking maybe I’ll try Fargo in May. Here is the list, with states in bold already completed:

1. Alabama
2. Alaska – Mayor’s (June)
3. Arizona
4. Arkansas
5. California – Los Angeles (March) or Big Sur (April)
6. Colorado
7. Connecticut
8. Delaware
9. Florida – Walt Disney World
10. Georgia
11. Hawaii – Honolulu (December)
12. Idaho
13. Illinois – Chicago
14. Indiana – Indianapolis (October)
15. Iowa
16. Kansas
17. Kentucky
18. Louisiana
19. Maine
20. Maryland
21. Massachusetts – Boston (April)
22. Michigan
23. Minnesota – Grandma’s, Twin Cities
24. Mississippi
25. Missouri
26. Montana
27. Nebraska
28. Nevada – Las Vegas (December)
29. New Hampshire
30. New Jersey
31. New Mexico
32. New York – New York City (November)
33. North Carolina
34. North Dakota – Fargo (May)
35. Ohio – Flying Pig (May)
36. Oklahoma
37. Oregon – Portland (October)
38. Pennsylvania
39. Rhode Island – Ocean State (October)
40. South Carolina
41. South Dakota
42. Tennessee
43. Texas – Houston (January)
44. Utah
45. Vermont
46. Virginia
47. Washington
48. West Virginia
49. Wisconsin – Eau Claire
50. Wyoming

I’ll continue to update this post as I find additional races that sound good.

Any suggestions?