William Goodge’s next audacious challenge is simple to explain and difficult to wrap your head around: 50 marathons, 50 states, 20 days.
The British runner and influencer says he plans to attempt the feat as part of a project he’s calling Mission America. Goodge announced the challenge this week on Instagram, framing it as both an endurance challenge and a fundraising effort tied to cancer charities.
If carried out as described, the stunt would require averaging two to three marathons per day while moving rapidly between states. Even by ultra-running standards, the schedule leaves essentially zero room for recovery. Any disruption, whether from travel delays, injury, weather, or fatigue, could quickly derail the attempt.
Talk about a logistical nightmare…
Now, Goodge is no stranger to large-scale, attention-grabbing, endurance projects.
Over the past several years, he has built a following around challenges that no one else could imagine up, rather than traditional racing.
In 2023, he ran across the United States from Los Angeles to New York City in roughly 55 days. More recently, he completed a trans-Australia run, covering thousands of kilometers in just over a month. He has also taken on compressed marathon blocks across the UK and Europe.
These outlandish efforts have undoubtedly attracted significant attention online. But, they have also drawn scrutiny.
Following some of his longest projects, members of the running and ultra community questioned elements of his reported data, including daily distances and recovery claims. Goodge has said he uses multiple tracking devices and has pushed back on suggestions that his performances were misrepresented, but the skepticism has persisted.
Mission America is likely to reopen those debates.
While “50 marathons in 50 states” isn’t a new idea, completing it in 20 days would move it into another universe compared to the more common one-marathon-per-day approach.
The physical toll, well, it would hurt. The logistical demands may be even more daunting, requiring precise coordination across flights, ground transport, and rest windows.
Goodge has framed the project around fundraising and awareness for cancer causes, a theme that has run through much of his endurance work and is tied to personal loss. At the time of the announcement, he had not released a detailed schedule, course list, or explanation of how each marathon would be verified across states.
