By Eric Hanson
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IOWA (KCCI) — Before the first light of dawn, the streets of Earlham are quiet, save for the hum of an early pickup truck and the chirping of morning insects. Among the stillness, Penny Frey laces up her running shoes, ready to begin her day.
“Yeah. We all wake up thinking, what are we doing? We’re crazy,” Frey said around 5:30 a.m.
Frey, who has been running with a friend since 2010, treasures these early morning moments. “It’s beautiful to watch the sunrise,” she said.
What began as a goal to lose weight quickly turned into a much larger challenge. “I was more of a couch potato,” Frey said. “We decided to challenge ourselves and run a marathon.”
The thought of running 26 miles was daunting. “I remember getting so nervous, I got a cold sore on my chin because my anxiety was getting the best of me,” she said. But after completing that first marathon, Frey and her running partner set their sights on a new goal: finishing a marathon in every state.
“So then that became our challenge to finish all 50 states,” Frey said.
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Now, with only four states left — Montana, West Virginia, Alaska, and Hawaii — Frey is nearing the finish line of her ambitious goal. “We have four left,” she said. “And then we’ll be done. So that’ll be our 50th. It’ll be Hawaii.”
Over the years, Frey has marveled at sights like New York’s skyline and California’s coast. But as she runs, her vision continues to fade. Frey first noticed the change during a run in North Dakota in 2017.
“I stopped, and I’m like, ‘Oh, crap. Where am I?’ And she’s like, ‘Penny, you’re going in the ditch.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh no!'” she said.
Doctors confirmed her fears. “My dad had a hereditary eye disease called ADNIV, and so he was blind,” Frey said. “And I knew I had it at the age, probably at 25, but I never really thought it would progress too much.”
But the disease has progressed. “Even the last three years, I’ve noticed it. It’s getting worse,” Frey said.
Now, time is of the essence. “I really need to finish my goal of marathons. And I can only do that with the help of my running friends. Otherwise I couldn’t be. Wouldn’t be possible,” she said.
Frey runs tethered to her friend Teresa Algreen with a short yellow leash. “If I start going into the ditch, she’ll pull me over or if I get too close, she’ll go like that—which happens a lot in the dark,” Frey said.
As the sun rises and visibility improves, Algreen gives Frey more slack. “When I give her slack, it’s giving her, I think, independence where she needs that,” Algreen said.
“As soon as it starts getting light, I can go on my own. But I need somebody to get me through the dark times,” Frey said.
Running has become both a physical and emotional outlet for Frey. “You know, I don’t know what’s ahead. I’ve cried a lot,” she said, her voice breaking. “Running with my friends helps because it gives me time not to think about it. Because I know what’s going to happen. And maybe it won’t. I don’t know, but I’m going to enjoy my life while I can. I’m sorry.”
Despite the challenges, Frey remains focused on her goal. “Running the race probably is the easiest. The training is hard,” she said.
Every mile is a chance to savor the sunrise. “I do, because I know someday I might not be able to see that,” Frey said.
Confident she will complete her 50-state marathon journey, Frey reflects on the significance of her achievement. “It’s a goal that I never thought I would reach, you know? And then put the blindness, you know, going blind on top of that,” she said.
For Frey, the finish line is just the beginning of her next chapter — whatever it may look like.
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