Penny Wilbanks ’05 started running half-marathons in 2005 and said she would never do a marathon. Then, in 2018, she ran her first marathon and never stopped. Penny completed her 50^th marathon in June and joined the 50 States Marathon Club! To become a member of the club, you must complete a marathon in all 50 states. While working full time AND working on her master’s degree at the University of Oklahoma, it took Penny just under six years to join this accomplished group of only 1800 members.

What made you decide to set this goal?

I did my first marathon in Washington when some friends from my hometown training group in Fort Worth invited me along. I did the Dallas BMW marathon because it was local, and then I went with some friends from another running group to a race in Eugene, OR. Next was a race in Oklahoma advertised as its final year, so I wanted to get in on that one. After that, I realized that I had already done four states and I ONLY had 46 more to go!

Was there ever a time when you thought you might quit? If so, what made you keep going?

No, I never thought about quitting. I had wanted to do this in 10 years, five marathons per year, but I picked up speed during Covid. I was up to 10 when the shutdown occurred but we started finding smaller races still going in remote areas and I was able to complete 22 marathons during the peak of the pandemic.

Do you have a favorite race/state that you competed in? If so, why?

Each state and race has its own personality. There are some that I will never do again and some that I will certainly go back to. My favorites were, of course, the New York City and Chicago Marathons. But my 48^th state, Delaware, was surprisingly the prettiest. The scenery along the race route was just breathtaking.

What’s next?

I plan to work on speed and setting a personal record for the Chicago Marathon and the Houston Marathon and then I will chip away at reaching 100 marathons. I’m currently at 64 races as I ran extra marathons to stay trained up when there were big gaps between states. I am planning to run all 50 states again but plan to take round two much slower. 

Is there anything else you’d like to share about this experience?

I made so many wonderful friends around the United States that kept me informed of races and invited me to tag along when I needed to check off a state.  It has been a life changing experience. I have learned that you can really do anything. You just have to be prepared and be ready to shift or change directions at any second.  You can't give up and "forward is a pace".