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

✅ THE ADVENTURE HAS BEEN COMPLETED!

RUN STATS

GEAR

I took only what I could carry on my journey. Below is my entire pack list. If I wasn’t wearing it, it was in my backpack.

Shoes & Socks

Asics Kayano 25, R-Gear Super Breathable Medium Cushion Low Cut Socks (2 pairs)

Shorts & Unders

Brooks Sherpa Shorts 5″, T8 Men’s Commandos anti-chaffing running underwear

Torso

Baleaf Men’s Windproof Cycling Windbreaker Jacket Fluorescent Yellow, New Balance Men’s Fall Accelerate Short Sleeve

Vest / Backpack

Ultimate Direction Ultra Vest 4.0, Ultimate Direction 50oz Reservoir

Headwear

TrailHeads Race Day Performance Running Cap, Trekz Headphones, JOJEN Polarized Sports Sunglasses, Eco Lips Sport SPF 30

Other

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

F.A.Q.

Did you run the entire way?

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.

What pace did you run?

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.

Were you worried you wouldn’t finish?

If my body failed for whatever reason, then I would have stopped. If that happened, I would Uber to the next motel and rest. Worst case, I’d Uber back to Seattle with the knowledge that I at least tried.

What did you do when you got to Spokane?

I drank. 🍻 But first, I called my family and told them I made it! 🏅 Then I Ubered to the airport and hopped on the next flight to Seattle. I even got upgraded by Alaska Airlines!

How did you have enough clothing for the trip?

I took two shirts and two pairs of socks. Everything was washed at night when I checked into my motel. When reserving my rooms, I verified there’s a hair dryer to dry my clothes after wringing them out. The next day I started the process all over again.

What did you do when you were running for hours a day?

I called 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 downloaded some audiobooks as well, because I can go through a week’s-worth of podcasts in a day or two of running.

What’s this Mike.run domain name?!

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.