50 States and 7 Continents – Clyde Shank form Plano, Texas has done it all!

Clyde Shank of Plano Texas ran his 50^th State on March 18, 2012 when he finished the 26.2 miler in the Big Island International Marathon.

Shank has run of all 7 continents once and will complete this feat twice when he runs in New Zealand in October and the North Pole – 90 degrees North.

Shank is the first person from the State of Texas to do so!

What is also amazing is that he turns 65 in August!

Shank was given the #50 when he ran in Hilo to complete his 50^th state.

Continued success to this amazing athlete and thank you for making Hilo your 50^th state.

March 27, 2012 - Posted by waynejoseph | Marathon Running | 50th State running club, Clyde Shank, Pano Texas

9 Comments »

Clyde was really an inspiration– I wish I would have signed up for the full, because he really pushed me without him even knowing it. The miles just flew by. We took a pic together around mile 12 or 12.5 when he found his wife and then he carried on and I turned to finish the half. Good times indeed. I think the intimate size of the race makes it so much more enjoyable than the giant races… not sure I would have talked story with the folks around me if there were hundreds of them.

Thanks again.

Aloha,
Ashley

Comment by Ashley | March 27, 2012 | Reply
- Ashley, it was a joy to run with you and get you to a place where you could attain one of your goals. Besides the longer it takes you to finish the run the more you get for your money!!! So what’s the hurry??? Especially when dealing with such beautiful scenery, great race volunteers, a wonderful race director and lots of aid stations. To me the joy is not just in finishing the run but in making new freinds along the way. Love your Aloha spirit!!! Let me know if you want some of the pictures I took along the way.
  Clyde
  
  Comment by Clyde Shank | April 2, 2012 | Reply
He’s run in Antarctica???

Comment by Jaclynn | March 27, 2012 | Reply
- Believe it or not, there is a marathon held in Antarctica once a year, so the answer is YES
  
  Comment by waynejoseph | March 27, 2012 | Reply
This is my goal someday!

Comment by Chris Gregory | March 27, 2012 | Reply
What a pleasure to have ran with Clyde and we played tag along the whole route-
He was gonna deliver a message to Larry Macon for me–It was both our 78th marathon and man, what an inspiration he is!!! Was surprised that I ran only two out of state (both in las Vegas) and tickled when he stated that I was a great ambassador for this marathon…Lots of laughs together and a new friend made–Way to go, Clyde–I only wished I could have kept up to him for he sure made a lot of running in the blessed rain so much fun!!! Congrats to a great finish and happy that our 50th state was indeed one he will cherish–50 states, wow!!! Queen

Comment by Marie Kuramoto | March 27, 2012 | Reply
- Queen, I sure had a great time chatting with you and getting to know you. What a hoot. I could not believe Hilo was both of our 78th marathons. Now that is a pure coincidence. I posted a couple of the pictures that I took on Larry’s Facebook wall. Let me know if you want a copy of teh pictures as well.
  Clyde
  
  Comment by Clyde Shank | April 2, 2012 | Reply
Congratulations Clyde……I was running my first marathon when I met Clyde at about mile 4 or 5 and he gave me some great tips about how he goes about it and more importantly how he runs for the enjoyment of it all.

He was good enough to take some photos (he carries a camera in all his runs) and we hooked up on Facebook when I got back home to Australia and I got the shots.

I was celebrating my 60th birthday on the day and finished a few minutes behind Clyde and had a chat to him at the finish…..he’s my hero at the moment and although I’ll never get to 78 marathons he’s inspired me to do many more.

Cheers Clyde from Rex

Comment by Rex Patterson | March 28, 2012 | Reply
Rex, Great to have you as a freind on Facebook and will enjoy keeping up with your exploits. Who knows maybe we can meet up again at the Auckland New Zealand marathon in October when I travel down under to do it…
Clyde

Comment by Clyde Shank | April 2, 2012 | Reply