Harleysville man completes 50 marathons in all 50 states

HARLEYSVILLE, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Keith Tindall loves to run.

"Every day, the alarm goes off early. You get up no matter what it's like. You run for a couple hours," he says.

And this past January, the 54-year-old Harleysville resident reached a goal he set out to accomplish decades ago: 50 marathons in all 50 states.

"Each medal took about four hours or less, but overall it was about 15 years to earn the whole thing, so yeah a big deal," said Tindall.

It's a journey that has taken him quite literally across the country. And just as each medal is different, so too is each experience -- crossing the finish lines as the sun shined and as the leaves turned.

From the mountains of Montana to the deserts of Arizona, and across the Alaskan Seas.

"That's been the neatest part about it," Tindall says. "Just getting to see this country, all the states, a lot of them I've never been to. There's flat ones, hilly ones, high altitude, low altitude," he says.

And two months ago, he finished the Maui Oceanfront Marathon in Hawaii with his daughter by his side. State number 50.

What was the feeling like when he crossed the finish line in Maui knowing that he completed his goal?

"Emotional," Tindall recalls. "Just thinking about it now, hard not to get choked up. When you put that much work into something for 15 years, and your whole family is there, just, I can't believe I did it, you know?"

And for his next challenge? This summer Tindall plans on running clear across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania -- from Lake Erie to Penns Landing -- to raise funds and awareness for Destiny Rescue, a children's charity.

It will take him 30 days to cross 460 miles.

How does he train for something like that?

"Just run a lot," Tindall laughs.

Well, I think he's got that part down for sure.