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Nifty No. 50: Accomplished runner’s goal to hit every state concludes at St. Luke’s FitOne
Brad Theyerl runs in the REVEL Reno Tahoe half marathon on May 17, 2026. An Iowa resident, Theyerl finished fourth overall. He will make Idaho the 50th state in which he has run a half marathon when he takes part in Saturday’s St. Luke’s FitOne.
Last Updated September 22, 2026
Odds are, Brad Theyerl will be at the front of the pack Saturday, one of the first across the St. Luke’s FitOne finish line.
But regardless of where he finishes in the standings, he will be celebrating a very rare achievement.
The half marathon in Boise will be the 50th state in which he has completed the 13.1 miles, a quest that did not begin in earnest until a few years ago.
“It’s kind of hard to believe, I didn’t ever think I’d do something like this,” said Theyerl, who lives in Davenport, Iowa. “… I had never really intended to do it, but it’s kind of hard to wrap my head around. It seems pretty rare.”
A group to which Theyerl belongs, Half Fanatics, has about 20,000 members. According to the total he’s been told, approximately 135 of them have done runs in all 50 states.
Theyerl, 47, was a collegiate runner before coaching, leading a running club and directing races. He ran close to 60 half marathons between 2005 and 2022, then coming out of COVID-19, had a lot of banked time off. So, he wanted to go run.
“I plotted it out — I had a lot of time — and I was able to hit 23 races in a year that I’d been wanting to do,” Theyerl said. “That added 10 more states, then I was close to 30.”
In August, Brad Theyerl checked off state No. 49 on his list of running in all 50 states – the 49th state to join the union, Alaska.
By the end of 2024, he had 39 states under his belt, and it was then he decided making it to 50 was attainable. All he had left in 2026 were Alaska, Hawaii, Maine and Idaho.
Initially, Maine was set to be No. 50 and Theyerl intended to run in northern Idaho earlier, but a one-time race near Lake Tahoe conflicted, meaning he would run in Maine in June, Alaska in August and concluding the list with Idaho.
“I have to be really organized to do this with race info, hotels, flights, car rental … but Boise had been on my spreadsheet for probably 15 years,” Theyerl said. “I’ve never been, but it will be great to have that 50th be at the biggest one in the state. It fits how I like to run, too.”
About half the half marathon course is on Boise roads, which Theyerl prefers over sidewalks or biking paths.
A loan auditor, Theyerl is organized by nature, his work and his half marathon spreadsheet included. At home, he has numerous plastic bins full of his race shirts, bib numbers and awards (he’s finished top 10 overall in 30 states). But Saturday at FitOne will definitely be special.
“I’ve always wanted to visit Boise, it will of course be a really memorable one for me,” Theyerl said.