Featured Testimonial About Creighton University
By Jon Nyatawa
Lost in the woods in Maine, Tricia and Liz scarfed down a bag of Halloween candy and chugged a bottle of … something, provided by an off-road biker they had never met. Water? Gatorade? It was fuel, and that was all that mattered.
The deceiving trail markings hadn’t fooled their sister, Ann. She crossed the finish line of the half marathon on time, only to wonder what happened to her twin sisters.
Tricia and Liz? They ended up running 20 miles.
“We might as well have run the full marathon,” Tricia said. “Thankfully, a biker stopped to help direct us on the mountain trails and provided us with fuel, since ours was depleted."
That was eight years ago.
And the retelling of the story still makes all three sisters laugh, just like so many other did-they-really-do-that memories during their two-plus decades of running races together.
This all started in 2002 with the sisters.. Tricia Weber, BSMT’75, and Ann Jacobsen, BSN’73, traveled from their Omaha homes to visit Liz McKernan, BS’75, in Tampa to run together in the Gasparilla Distance Classic.
As they said their good-byes, they suddenly came up with a crazy idea.
“How about we compete in a running competition in each one of the 50 states?”
They had a goal. It began in 2002 with the Half Shell-Half Marathon in Key West, Fla. Ever since then, the sisters have documented their adventures with a bunch of hilarious scrapbooks full of photos, medals, racing bibs, short stories and silly limericks. They’ve managed to carve out enough open weekends (between job duties, and mom duties, and grandma duties) to race together in 49 states.
The only state left is Alaska, and they’ll cross that one off the list in August at the Anchorage RunFest.
“I think there is that segment of the people who know us and probably think it's a great thing and an amazing accomplishment,” Liz said. “But then there's the other people that look at us like, ‘you guys are crazy.’”
“We don’t really think about it that way. It's always about our getaway to be together and synergize. Sometimes, we’ll do a little shopping, a little dining, site seeing, and then suddenly, it's like, ‘Oh gosh, we've got to get up and race tomorrow.’”
To be clear, though, they do indeed push themselves to the limit.
They’ve done triathlons of all distances, including sprints, Olympic and the 70.3 half-triathlon. Running distance races have included just about everything, from 5Ks to marathons. They've completed several events as a relay.
They’ve raced in weather so hot they had to discard top layers of clothing mid-race, knowing they would be losing those garments for good.
They’ve raced in the cold — and not just chilly air that makes you shiver a little, but the true cold, the stinging-face cold. In Minnesota, when the thermometer was surely just peaking above zero and the forecast included an impending blizzard, they got up early in the morning and ran the "Freeze Your Buns" race course alone. That way, they could leave town ahead of the snowstorm.
They’ve raced in the rain, and those days were frigid, too. Cincinnati and Nashville come to mind. Said Trish: “I’m pretty sure we were close to hypothermia.”
They got to do the Beach to Battleship (a 70.3 half-triathlon) in North Carolina. They ran the Chicago Marathon with five daughters. They became temporary members of a New York running club, just so they could earn a spot in the lottery for the New York City Marathon — which they completed. They celebrated their 70th birthdays by running the 2023 Big Bear marathon in California, and five daughters joined for that one, too.
But their favorite event?
Without a doubt, it was the Willie Nelson 10K run. One of their first races in their 50 states saga. The run was grueling — straight up the biggest hill you’ve ever seen in 90-degree heat under the Texas sun.
But Nelson performed in an outdoor concert after the race. His “On the Road Again” hit ended up being a bit of a theme song for Liz, Trish and Ann.
“We always chuckle when that song comes on the radio,” Liz said.
"On the road again
Seein' things that I may never see again
Goin' places that I've never been
And I can't wait to get on the road again."
Their 50-state journey hasn’t been defined only by the running events.
It’s about cherishing their love and bond as sisters, and enjoying new adventures together. All of the moments are meaningful. They’ve brought their own kids along for the ride many times, too. And the sisters been a source of inspiration for their families and friends. Plus, they’re in great shape! They’re in their 70s and they’re running every other day, with some swimming, biking or strength training mixed in.
And now?
They’re looking forward to checking their 50th state off the list, said Liz. “We’re training extra hard to finish our last state feeling strong. We've packed in a lot of memories that have kept us running. Our sister bond only gets stronger."
It shouldn't be a surprise that Liz, Tricia and Ann have already declared a new (and ambitious) running goal once they've completed their race in Alaska.
They will be trail running and hiking National Parks. And they'll be sure to keep a close eye on the trail markings.
