50 Shades of Red, White and Blue

Almost there, all downhill from here, in the home stretch! Countless times have I heard these phrases in marathons - sometimes true and sometimes not. I saw one sign this year in Cincinnati at the start of the flying pig marathon that read "You're not almost there!" How true as I still had over 26 miles to run.
 
But here I am, truly in the home stretch, really almost there although maybe not all downhill from here.  Sixty-three days from now I will complete what has been a 15 year journey running a marathon in all 50 states.  On July 12, I will run Missoula, MT, state 49 and on September 6 Kauai, Hawaii completing state 50.  Ironically, the 50th star, for Hawaii, was added to the U.S. flag the year I was born although Hawaii was granted statehood in 1959.  Tomorrow, July 4, 2015, it will be the 55th anniversary of the 50 state flag.  Here is a an interesting read related to the 49th and 50th star design lead by the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps from Fort Lee, VA


Quartermaster General MG Andrew T. McNamara and President Eisenhower
examine new 49 star flag

The 49th star was added for Alaska, which was state number 48 for me - Cordova, what an experience.  Montana was granted statehood as the 41st state in 1889.  There were 3 more states (Dakotas and Washington) added over a period of 6 days so there was not time to produce official flags after each state was added.  However, it appears that for celebration reasons in Montana, approximately 20 flags were produced displaying 41 stars.  Here is a picture.
 

41 Star Flag

With all the talk about the confederate flag these days, there is truly one flag we, as Americans, should be honoring and it is the 50 state American flag.  I have lived in 4 states - Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and North Carolina - all in the 13 original colonies, representing the 13 stripes on our flag.  Our freedom, on our 239th anniversary tomorrow, has allowed me to run in this great country of ours, travel freely and speak plainly.  Just as running in each state has had its own experience so too does each state's history and flag.  As much as we would like to change history, we can't, but we can affect the future.  So, I salute our 50 shades of red, white and blue, our only flag that flies over these great United States.
 

 

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Over the next two months, I hope to write more about my journey, the places I've run, the states towns and cities I've visited, people I've met, experiences along the way, the changes in life over 15 years, and where I hope to go next with running.  Running has been the one constant in my life, been there when I needed it, challenged and humbled me, but not without regrets as it has given me more than I have given it.  More to come...