SEPTEMBER 22 - OCTOBER 5, 2019
SEATTLE
TO
SPOKANE
323 MILES UNASSISTED
RUN ACROSS WA STATE

RUN OVERVIEW

I ran 323 miles solo and unassisted (meaning no outside support) from Seattle to Spokane, Washington. I started on September 22, 2019 and finished on October 5, 2019.
Why?
- Sense of accomplishment.
- See WA state (he’s never been East of Central WA).
- Meet people along the way.
- Be uncomfortable, be happy, and keep going.
- Maybe garner a couple of interesting stories.
The run started when I disembarked the ferry boat at 801 Alaskan Way in Seattle, after taking the boat across Puget Sound from my hometown of Bainbridge Island, Washington Open in New Window.
I ran between 18 and 33 miles per day, roughly split evenly per day between a morning run and an afternoon run. The entire journey took 13 days, with one rest day when my quad flared up from overuse.
Armed only with a credit card, cell phone and podcast play list, I navigated across the state, sleeping nightly at hotels and motels.
I ate every morning and every evening in local restaurants across Washington state.
I carried my water daily, and rested roughly halfway into each day’s journey. I’ll also carried my lunch purchased in the morning, while trying to minimize the amount of weight carried per day.
My hydration vest has a small backpack, which carried my daily needs (see below for a detailed gear list).

CURRENT STATUS

RUN STATS



GEAR

Garmin Forerunner 935 Watch , Road ID – Official ID Bracelet
, Fels Naptha Laundry Soap Bar
, Mace Police Strength Pepper Spray Key Chain
, Body Glide
, Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Ibuprofen, Disposable Razor, Safety Pins, Credit Card, Small Amount of Cash, Drivers License, Health Insurance Card, iPhone 6s, Double USB Charger
, iPhone Charge Cable, Trekz Charge Cable, Garmin Charge Cable, Small Roll of TP, Small Roll of Saran Wrap to Keep iPhone Dry, Printed Map


RUN DEDICATION

This journey is dedicated to someone very special to Mike who has an autoimmune disease called Crohn’s Disease.
Crohn’s Disease can be annoying at best and debilitating at worst. It’s likely you know someone with IBD or Crohn’s Disease and don’t even know it. Most people suffer in silence.
Mike wants to raise awareness for this disease, which impacts the quality of life for millions of people. Research can make a difference in improving the quality of life for those who suffer.
Please join Mike in his journey by making a donation to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. Your support is 100% tax deductible.
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE, JOIN MIKE!
Any donation amount makes a difference and signifies that you’re joining Mike on this epic journey. Thank you! 🙏
F.A.Q.

I ran, but I also did — at times — walk and jog.
My goal was not to finish in the fastest time, but to enjoy the entire journey.
I trained on Bainbridge Island at around 10 minutes per mile (mpm) pace. But that includes a normal training pace of 8:30-9:00 mpm on flat roads, and 12+ mpm when I’m running up Toe Jam Hill or Baker Hill.
If my body fails for whatever reason, then I will stop.
If that happens, I may Uber to the next motel and rest. I may take a day off from running.
Worst case, I’ll Uber back to Seattle with the knowledge that I at least tried.
Likely drink a large quantity of alcohol. 🍻
But first, I’ll call my family and tell them I made it! 🏅
Then figure out where the nearest bus station is and buy a ticket back to Seattle. Or my family might join me for a celebration in Spokane.
I’ll take two shirts and two pairs of socks for my two runs per day.
Everything that can be washed will be washed at night when I check into my motel. I’ll verify there’s a hair dryer to dry my clothes after wringing them out.
The next day I start the process all over again.
I’ll likely call my family and friends and catch up.
I also enjoy the following podcasts: Mixergy, Indie Hackers Podcast, The Top, Noah Kagan Presents, Y Combinator Podcast, Startups for the Rest of Us, Lessons and Ideas, DomainSherpa, DomainNameWire.
I will likely download some audiobooks as well, because I can go through a week’s-worth of podcasts in a day or two of running.
Yes, there is a new top-level domain name about running, and it’s .run. It works just like .com and .net.
I often say that all good domains are registered. I tried for SeeMikeRun.com, RunMikeRun.com, and others. But then I remembered .run, and a quick lookup revealed that Mike.run did not renew and was expiring in a few days. That’s fate. I waited and registered it when it dropped.



GET IN TOUCH

“Meet Mike. He’s running across Washington just for kicks.” by Nathan Pilling, Kitsap Sun, Published 7:48 a.m. PT Sept. 28, 2019.
Email, @ or DM Mike on Instagram.