Runners tend to have a reason for their passion.
Some are in it for better physical, or mental, health; others may do it for a charitable cause.
Paul Farquhar’s inspiration is a bit different.
“I just decided one day I want to complete a race in every state before I die,” the Holland, Mich., runner joked Wednesday.
Farquhar will venture more than 700 miles from Michigan to Iola this weekend to partake in the eighth annual Charley Melvin Mad Bomber Run For Your life.
For Farquhar, 55, running is a new endeavor, picking up the sport a few years ago after reading about his sister’s running exploits. He decided over the winter to embark on his 50-state quest.
He’s covered seven states so far, and is looking at the possibility of also running races over the weekend in Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas while he’s in the area.
It’s too soon to tell how much he’ll complete, but he’s worked his schedule to run a 5K in St. Charles, Mo., Saturday morning before heading to Iola that evening. He hopes to swing by Oklahoma and Arkansas Sunday afternoon for two other races.
“I’ve done two 5Ks in a day, but I’ve never done four 5K’s over two days,” he said in a telephone interview. “I just don’t have many opportunities to visit those states.”
Farquhar has ties to southeast Kansas. His sister, Patricia Morris, lives in Chanute, which is how he received an email describing the Melvin run.
“It sounded like an interesting event,” he said. “I’m coming down for the run, but of course, I’ll spend some time with my sister.” (He’s even hoping to talk his relatives and friends to join him for the Melvin jaunt.)
Farquhar serves as service adviser for an auto repair shop in Michigan, “and my schedule doesn’t lend itself to many travel opportunities,” he said. “But I get to take vacations each year. I just need to find ways to get to all 50 states. The Midwest states won’t be too hard. It’ll be more difficult to get to the West Coast.”
As such, he has no deadline to complete his quest, “as long as I don’t expire first,” he laughed.
FARQUHAR’S running career began haltingly. A post on his sister’s Facebook page that she had run a 10k, 6.2 miles, race served as motivation, if not a bit of a sibling challenge.
“I thought, if she can do a 10k, I should be able to do a 5k,” he reasoned.
