Idaho Iowa Minnesota Oregon Wyoming And most of them they did try to make into family vacations, making memorable moments for all of the Crocketts. Such as the recent trip that checked off two states, two races, and one fun-filled family Fall Break. “Fall Break, a couple of years ago, we went to New England and I did a marathon on a Sunday in Portland, Maine, and the end of the week we ended up in Hartford, Connecticut. Six days in between the two marathons. One trip with the family and we end up knocking two out that week,” Shannon recounts of the trip. It was a season of life and schedule shifting that could be considered a “little extra challenging” to Shannon at times, but ultimately worth it as he thinks back to what he hopes his commitment to this marathon goal showed to his kids. “At some points, even if you change your mind and think, ‘I don’t like running anymore,’ you’ve got to commit and finish it,” he says with a laugh. “So that was a goal, and my kids knew I had that going.” They did indeed take note, as 20-year-old Hattie (one of Shannon and Shanna’s four children) followed suit and ran Shannon’s 50th marathon with him. week of fun, plus a Disney World marathon run for Shannon in the middle of it. “I ran it a little bit safer. It didn’t hurt quite as bad as the other one,” he says with a chuckle. “I thought – well, I could do some more of these…with the goal of trying to get all 50 states. He was 37 at the time, and determined that he could do four a year for the next 13 years, and thus reach all of the states by 50. “50 by 50,” he said to himself in his goal-setting thoughts. Of course, four races a year for 13 years would come with its fair share of planning and particular arranging in the midst of Shannon’s work schedule and their growing family. And so began the dance of looking ahead at race dates, conserving PTO, coordinating certain trips with family vacations, and taking some ventures with just his wife, while others were quick trips with friends. “What I would do is look at race calendars, spending countless hours doing so. I would see when they’re going to be, coordinating them with the schedule I worked so I didn’t have to burn vacation, and also try to coordinate them with having a busy family life. So, it made it a challenge, but we made it work pretty good. Most of the trips we incorporated with family vacations,” he says of his process. “My wife was very supportive. I put in a lot of that work and she put in a lot of work and sacrifice over the years, too. She didn’t run with me, but I owe her a lot of gratitude for putting up with it,” Shannon says of their teamwork. And at times, some of the races would be just a quick weekend trip with him and his wife, Shanna. Others would be Shannon and a friend or two that were also running the marathons. Which, in those cases, would be a very quick venture. “We went on a mission to get there, get our race bib, get our stuff, eat, sleep, run, then get home,” he says of those brief outings. Shannon Crockett with his daughter, Hattie, during his final marathon in Hawaii INTHEVUE.COM | MAY 2026 73
