Jill Blewett at the Eisenhower Marathon in Abilene, Kansas. She has reached her goal of running a marathon
in all 50 U.S. states.Last month, Jill Blewett reached her goal of running a marathon in all 50 U.S. states.
She finished the Maui Oceanfront Marathon, in Hawaii. She ran – and walked – the 26.2 miles in 7 hours, 25 minutes, and 30 seconds. Being five-and-a-half months pregnant at the time, a fast pace was not her overriding concern.
Her doctor advised her to drink plenty of liquids and keep her heart rate down. Blewett took it slow, but the extra weight of being pregnant still made it one of the most difficult marathons on her to-do list.
“I had gained an extra 20 pounds,” says the 30-year-old Blewett, who works as a registered dietitian out of the Knoxville office of Health Diagnostic Laboratory, Inc. “It was like running with two 10-pound dumbbells.”
Blewett’s ambition to complete a marathon in every state was slow to unfold. In 2007 she ran her first marathon in her home state of California. One week before the race she was in Guatemala on a mission trip, where she caught a stomach bug that caused her to lose 15 pounds. She finished the marathon in under 5 hours, but passed out from dehydration at the finish line. When she regained consciousness, she was in the medical tent with a medal around her neck and an IV in her arm.