Faye and Mario Simmons have been running together since they moved to Memphis about 20 years ago. Their first race was St. Jude Memphis Marathon® Weekend, where Mario initially ran the full marathon, and Faye ran the half marathon. After a meniscus tear, Mario’s doctor suggested that he transition to only running half marathons as a maximum distance, so he and Faye began racing together. They decided to try to run a half marathon in all 50 states early into their running career and would initially run only one or two per year. By 2023, they had completed 27 half marathons and decided they were ready to focus and complete their goal. Now, by mid-2024, they have completed all 50 half-marathons.
“It was amazing to be able to travel the country and run in so many different environments,” Faye reflects. Faye’s favorite half marathon was the race they completed in Hawaii. Despite travel delays due to freezing temperatures here in Memphis, they made it to the race without having to reschedule. For Mario, he found a Virginia half marathon the most memorable, as the course ran through a national park that was set up to replicate colonial Williamsburg. Despite the location, “the best part of each race was getting to travel and complete it together,” Mario says.
To train, the Simmons ran individually a few times a week, or with the local running group Breakaway Running, but they consistently ran together as a couple every Saturday. However, the true challenge they faced was not the training, but finding half marathons that fit into their individual schedules and making travel plans. In the last year of racing, Mario found races nearby that they could complete in just a few days, without excessive traveling. For instance, they completed South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana in one trip. “Mario did all the planning. All I had to do was show up with my luggage, and everything else was taken care of,” Faye says.
When reflecting on staying motivated throughout their journeys, both Mario and Faye found that having a common goal and loving to travel kept them going. “It was more the goal than the sport that kept us motivated,” Faye remembers. “But things fell into place so easily, and we felt blessed to have such good luck and a reason to travel together,” Mario adds.
Despite their recent accomplishment, the Simmons have no plans to stop running together and are already looking into some international half marathons in London and Canada. “No matter where we run in the future, we will keep running together.”
Learn more about Breakaway Running at Breakawaymemphis.com.
By Zoe Harrison
Photo by Tindall Stephens
