Danielle Mullenix
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – A British ultramarathoner running 50 marathons in 50 states in just 24 days stopped in Idaho Falls Monday, using each mile to honor his late mother and raise money for cancer research. Local News 8 reporter Danielle Mullenix laced up her tennis shoes to catch up with the runner and chat about his goals for this nationwide sprint.
Along the winding paths of the Idaho Falls Riverwalk, the sound of footsteps on the wet pavement carried a mission much bigger than 26.2 miles.
British ultramarathoner William Goodge, currently on day 6 of his 24-day running journey across America
For British ultramarathoner William Goodge, every mile is a chance to honor his late mother, connect with people whose lives have been touched by cancer, and transform grief into something that can help others.
Goodge stopped in Idaho Falls on Monday as part of Mission America, an ambitious attempt to run 50 marathons across all 50 states in just 24 days. If successful, he aims to set a Guinness World Records title while raising money for Stand Up To Cancer.
As Goodge made his way along the Snake River, he said Idaho Falls stood out during the team’s research for the cross-country route.
“In the research, we saw Idaho Falls. Obviously, it’s just down there. Cute town,” Goodge said, pointing out to the stretching Riverwalk landscape. “Running along a river is really good because it generally means it’s going to be flat. So yeah, I’m happy to be here.”
The scenic route offered a welcome setting for a challenge that leaves little room for error. Between running, recovery, and traveling to the next state, Goodge and his team are working against a demanding clock.
But the physical challenge is only one part of the story.
Turning grief into a reason to run
Goodge didn’t begin running simply to chase records. He started after losing his mother, Amanda “Mandy” Goodge, to cancer when he was 23.
At the time, he said, running became a way to process emotions he struggled to put into words: a constructive outlet for grief that might otherwise have consumed him.
“The reason I started running was that I lost my mom to cancer when I was 23, and it was my version of therapy,” Goodge said.
One of the books that helped shape his ambitions was Ultramarathon Man, by Dean Karnazes, which describes Karnazes’ challenge of running 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days.
Goodge said Mission America draws inspiration from that feat as it pursues a new goal: completing the challenge as quickly as possible. His team landed on an ambitious 24 days.
The compressed schedule makes the attempt particularly demanding. Goodge said he needs to complete each marathon in five hours or less to stay on track, while factors beyond his control — including delayed flights and potential problems with the team’s recreational vehicle — can threaten the schedule.
The First week of Goodge’s run sees him stretching across America’s Pacific Coast and Wild West. He will visit Bozeman, Montana, for his final trek of the West before traveling further into the United States.
“Yeah, I mean, with the logistics and everything, it’s pretty ridiculous,” Goodge said. “I have to do each marathon in five hours or less. Otherwise, we kind of run out of time quite quickly.”
The days are built around the miles. When asked what his routine looks like, Goodge offered a rapid-fire description of the cycle that now defines his life on the road.
“Wake up eight. Run eight. Run eight. Run. Nap eight. Run eight. Run. Eat run. Sleep,” he said.
It is a relentless rhythm of running, eating and sleeping, repeated as the team moves from one state to the next.
Still, Goodge said the discomfort he experiences during the challenge is difficult to compare with what people battling cancer endure.
“I’m doing it in my mom’s name, and I’m raising money for Stand Up To Cancer, so I don’t feel like I don’t have an excuse, a good excuse at least, to stop,” he said. “Especially with everyone fighting cancer like they are in the world.”
For Goodge, remembering his mother is not simply a tribute at the finish line. It is part of what keeps him moving when the miles become painful.
Finding connection in every state
As Mission America progresses, Goodge is discovering that the people he meets can be just as meaningful as the miles he completes.
The campaign includes organized opportunities for people to find him along the route, join him for part of a run, and share their own stories. Goodge said supporters can also follow the journey through the campaign’s website and Strava running community (which brought together some local Idaho Falls and Eastern Idaho runners alongside Goodge on the Riverwalk Monday morning).
For someone whose own experience with cancer loss helped shape his relationship with running, those encounters have added a deeper dimension to the challenge.
“So far, we’ve had people in every state I’ve been to, and I’ve heard their stories,” Goodge said.
Hearing from others who have experienced similar grief has reinforced his belief that the effort is making a difference beyond fundraising totals or a potential world record.
“Other people going through a similar situation to what I did really hit home for me that I’m doing the right thing for the right cause,” he said.
Goodge hopes the challenge can also inspire people who may not be able to donate or run alongside him.
“If people can’t donate, hopefully they get motivated or can see another way of using negative emotion, hopefully a positive outcome for themselves and for the world,” he said.
The message is rooted in his own experience: difficult emotions do not have to be the end of a story. They can become the starting point for something meaningful.
A cross-country challenge with little room for error
Mission America began in Honolulu, Hawaii, on October 9. From there, Goodge’s planned itinerary takes him through communities across the country, with Idaho Falls scheduled for October 12, before a planned finish at the New York City Marathon on November 1.
The team chose stops with logistics in mind, but Goodge said finding beautiful places to run also mattered.
That helped make Idaho Falls an appealing stop, with its riverside paths offering a scenic and relatively flat route.
The weather wasn’t exactly a concern, either. When the rainy conditions came up during the Riverwalk interview, Goodge offered a little perspective from back home.
“I’m from England. This is tropical for me,” he said with a laugh.
The lighthearted moment offered a glimpse of the personality behind the extraordinary mileage. But the challenge also comes with unpredictable encounters: Goodge said a moose and its calf ran toward him while he was on a trail in Alaska, making that stop one of the wildest experiences of the journey so far.
Even with the scenery, wildlife and people along the way, the schedule remains unforgiving. Each marathon is another deadline, another recovery window and another opportunity for something unexpected to disrupt the plan.
Goodge previously completed a 2,361-mile run across Australia in 34 days. Mission America takes that endurance experience and applies it to a different kind of challenge—one that requires him to complete a marathon in every state while navigating a tightly coordinated travel schedule.
Ways to support Mission America
The challenge is raising money for Stand Up To Cancer, which funds research focused on detecting and treating cancer.
Goodge said the Mission America website allows supporters to donate, start their own fundraisers and find out when he will be running in different communities. The campaign also provides opportunities for people to join him along the route.
For Goodge, the goal is to make participation possible even for people who cannot travel to a run or contribute financially.
Every conversation, shared mile, and personal story reminds him why he started.
A potential world record may be waiting at the end of the journey. But along the Idaho Falls Riverwalk, Goodge made clear that the purpose of the miles reaches far beyond the finish line.
He is running in his mother’s name, for people still fighting cancer and for anyone searching for a way to turn personal pain into something positive.
And for the next 26.2 miles — and every marathon after that — he intends to keep going.
Follow Goodge’s journey across America on his official website HERE or on the Strava group HERE.
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