188 Comments

Hello Terrell: I'm open, I'm now retired so I can travel. Prefer the CA, AZ, NV, OR, etc. Spring/Fall/winter (I don't do well in the heat). I read your newsletter religiously although I do not respond often, but just know I enjoy it very much and it keeps me motivated !! I've run 15 1/2's among them Las Vegas, Long Beach and Surf City. At this point in my running career I'm more about the experience, scenery and fun. Thanks in advance for your suggestions. K

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Hi from Syracuse, New York!

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Hi there Amanda! Welcome! 👋

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Kay here in Huntington Beach, CA. I run along the beach. I’m looking for a 1/2 that is flat and less crowded.

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Hi there Kay! Are you looking to run one close to you? And, what time of year?

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Monterey Park, Ca. Eight miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Will be doing the Santa Barbara Wine Country Half in May with my daughter. Excited for that.

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Spain and Portugal.

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I live in Santa Rosa, Ca which has many beautiful areas to run. Currently taking some time off to travel in Europe. Planning to run in my favorite 10k Fourth of July race in Kenwood, Ca as well as the Santa Rosa half marathon later this year.

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Nice, Michelle! Where in Europe are you planning on going?

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Yes, it’s May 6. Derby Festival officially starts Saturday.

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I'm in Seattle, but moving to Catalonia, Spain this summer. I love running through the trails in the forests of the PNW, and will miss this terribly despite living in the mediterranean.

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Wow, now THAT will be an adventure! Moving there permanently?

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This is the hope! We are 'dating' Spain for a year minimum and deciding what to do from there. We have up to 5 years on a Visa before we need to take next steps.

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That is so, so cool! What a blast that will be -- I've just Googled it and it looks spectacular from the photos.

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We're actually moving to a town that is a notorious training spot for pro cyclists due to its proximity to the Pyrenees. I'm SO clumsy on wheels, but may end up on a bike by the end of the decade despite my deep need to play it safe!

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Asheville, NC. I just moved here from Charleston, SC a year ago, where I started running in 2016. I love Asheville, but I miss Charleston!!!

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Having visited Charleston quite a bit, it's not hard to understand why! Asheville is lovely too, though -- I'm sure it'll grow on you. I had a chance to run the Cooper River Bridge Run a few years ago in Charleston and it was a blast.

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Yes it is the Indy Mini. Very flat course and it includes 2.5 miles on the Indianapolis Speedway.

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i have been running for 10 years but am only stepping up to ultra marathon running which is really exciting. we also have the Makgadikgadi Pans marathon across the world famous Pans in Northern Botswana which is also epic.

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Nahant, MA - North Shore of Boston. I mainly run in the NorthEast area/New England states, but have traveled to many states and London to run! On the road/trails for 27 years (late start to running), and am taking notes with your recommendations. Maine Marathon this year. Portland, ME is a great area to run. I’ll also recommend 100on100 relay starting in Stowe, VT. So much fun!!!

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Welcome, Jill! 👋 What's the 100on100 relay? I have friends who've done relays and loved them.

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100 mile relay starting in Stowe, VT (a brewery:)), running mainly along route 100. It’s a point to point. It’s beautiful. It ends at a ski resort, Okemo (I think).

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i live in Gaborone Botswana, Southern Africa, the best place to live and run on the planet. mostly flat, and runnable all year round. doing 2 marathons this year with my running club, the Gaborone Striders Running Club , oldest running club in Botswana. also located near to South Africa which has a strong running history including the 90 kilometer Comrades marathon, which members of my club love to run. hoping to run the Comrades next year.

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Welcome, Anthony! 👋 Great to have you here -- I've traveled to South Africa once before, but always heard Botswana is an amazing place to visit. The Comrades Marathon does look like an amazing race! How long have you been running there?

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Louisville, Kentucky - home of the Kentucky Derby, the fastest two minutes in sports.

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Hi Melissa! The Derby is coming up soon, isn't it?

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Boston masachutse

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I'm in Davis, CA, home of way too many triathletes and long distance runners. Easy to feel like a shlub here 8-). I've done two 1/2s (Santa Rosa 2019, Monterey 2022), planning on the Monterey again this year, plus the kids are trying to talk me into doing the Portland with them. In prep, hoping to run my 4th (5th?) Bay to Breakers next month. Training has been slow, though.. But, cold's almost gone, hitting the road tomorrow!

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Those are all fantastic races, Andy! You’re no schlub in my book, though I know the feeling -- it’s very easy to feel that way here in Atlanta too, with all the amazing runners we have. How was the Monterey race?

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The Monterey race was very nice. Much of it was along the coastal trail, so the scenery can't be beat. It's sort of an out-and-back, although the turnaround is at about 8 miles... I kept looking for it, and not seeing it! On the other hand, hitting the turn and realizing I only had 5 miles left was kind of cool. Well organized, and the temperature was perfect. Fairly flat race - unlike it's parent race, the Big Sur Marathon. It says there is about 106 feet total gain and loss.

Side story - as I was running, at one point I noticed another runner on the side of the road being treated by EMTs. Turns out, he was one of two runners in the race who went down with heart issues. And both were initially treated to CPR by the same OTHER runner in the race, a heart surgeon, who managed to save two runners and still finish the race. In front of me. 8-)

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I read that story from the Dr. who saved them! Odd enough for one, but 2?!

How is the Bay to Breakers? Been thinking of doing that one.

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Bay to Breakers is a very fun race. Just you and 50,000 of your closest friends! Starts flat, then one big uphill (11%), burg when you reach the top, it’s all downhill (and through Golden Gate Park) to the ocean. There will be costumes. And naked people. And people dressed like salmon who start at the end and run “upstream”. I’ve done it 4 or 5 times. Great race!

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Sounds FANTASTIC! I also hear there are people who run it stopping at all the liquor stores along the way and end the race drunk! It is definitely on my list.

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certainly happens. there are many folks on the sides of the street cheering you on, bands set up in different places for entertainment...

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That's amazing!!

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Andy, as long as you keep putting one foot in front of the other, you are far less shlubby than those who never lace up. My plan is to live to 110. That way I don’t have to worry about getting faster, I just need to outlive my competition.

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I like that plan! 8-)

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Living in DMV area (currently bethesda, MD) for past 28 years. The only races I’ve run (mostly 1/2 Ms and 10 milers but also four marathons) are all in DMV. Hope to change that after I retire (hopefully before 2030)!

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Hi Rupa! 👋 Have a dream race you'd like to run, no matter where in the world?

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Athens of course, where it all started supposedly!!

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I’m in Aurora, CO heading to Indianapolis for the Mini Marathon the first weekend in May for state #17.

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Hi Heather! 👋 That's awesome! How's the training been going for the Indy Mini?

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Wellllll, training isn’t exactly where I would like it, but as a single mom with two active kids, I figure if I give it what I’ve got each day, that’s one for the win column. Before I know it, they will be flying the coop and I can get back to training like I did when they were stroller age, fingers crossed.

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I live in Fairbanks, Alaska, home of the Equinox Marathon, one of the most challenging marathons in North America :)

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Welcome, Andrea! 👋

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Hey everyone. So powerful to see all the locations and “points in life” from the running community. I am in Elgin, a northwest suburb of Chicago. Good, strong running presence in this area. I am doing 10 half’s this year, 7 in different states. So incredible to run different cities and meet people from so many different backgrounds. Indianapolis is next in 3 weeks.

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Good luck in Indianapolis, Mike! It's the Indy Mini, right?

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Sedona and Phoenix, AZ.

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I am in Pittsburgh and I am missing the marathon this year due to travel. Yet, that will not stop me from running through the Southwest.

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Nice, Linda! Where in the Southwest?

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I live, run, and hike in Israel. We've got a huge variety of trails and parks here, from the Negev desert in the south to the frozen Hermon mountain in the north.

Often I run in the Yarmut Park below my house, which follows a 3000+ year old streambed heading toward the ruins of Yarmut, one of the Canaanite cities captured by Joshua. Or on beautiful trails on the hill across the street that heads toward the Elah Valley where David fought Goliath. (I wrote about that hill several times on my Substack, such as here: https://thehealthyjew.substack.com/p/milk-thistle-hill.

Running here really connects me with the country's vivid and complex history.

Once on the topic of running in Israel, I'll drop a link here to a great tip I learned about running from an Israeli friend: https://thehealthyjew.substack.com/p/you-talk-too-much

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I think I’d like to visit! Sounds amazing!

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Let me know when you get in, and I’ll happily share some local running and hiking tips. Seriously.

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Hey there, Shmuel! 👋

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I live in Albany New York. I'm aiming for the Buffalo half marathon on May 28th.

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Commerce City, Colorado. Running on the trails in the open prairie with the Rocky Mountains as the backdrop and the prairie dogs cheering me on.

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That sounds amazing, Mirtha!

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Hi from the Lower Rhine Area in Germany. I just subscribed to your newsletter and I love to run and hike whereever it takes me.

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Welcome, Markus!!

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Barcelona! I don’t run (just here to hang out) but I see folks going up and down Diagonal every day

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👋 Kevin! Good to see you here, my man. We'll get you lacing up and out on the streets of Barcelona for a run sometime, I know it 😉

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Hey, Dave, We have plenty of halves! Look up Orca Running and Evergreen Running. They have great swag and t-shirts! I'm wearing a long-sleeve one right now! :)

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Destin, Florida…….love running in New York when I get the chance!

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Hi there, Gail!

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Lompoc, 50 minutes north of Santa Barbara California

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Welcome, Incompatibility? 👋 (Should I call you Incompatibility? 😃 )-

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Knoxville, TN

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HI ALL!

Manlius, NY, USA

I love running along the Erie Canal Trail, Highland Forest and the good old roads. :) Nothing like moving my body before the sun comes up. Have a great weekend.

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Hey there Julie! Those all sound like such fantastic places to run 😃

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They really are...just when I get the itch to move I go for a run and remember why I'm here. :)

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Erie Canal on my list.

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It's the best in Spring...I'm seeing beavers, heron, hawks, so many living things waking up! It's amazing!

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Las Vegas, Nevada, USA!

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Hey there, Corrina! 👋

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Hi Terrell! Hope spring is treating you well. How’s it going?

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i'm in woodstock, maryland, near baltimore. we have a lot of great paths for running. no where is it flat though!

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Hi Kel! 👋

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Yes, running the full with some friends. I just have realized that the full isn’t my distance and really like 1/2s

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Me too ... 1 full and 118 halves. The 2nd 13 miles are not worth it!

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118!!!!

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I hear ya. I ran my 26.2-milers when I was in my 20s and 30s, and really enjoy the half and shorter distances now.

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I live in Milton, FL. I grew up in Upstate NY (Elmira, NY), went to college at the University at Buffalo (B.S., M.S., M.S.), spent 25 years in Atlanta, GA, then Port St. Joe, FL, before going to Kent County, DE before retiring here to sunny FL.

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Bridget upstate Ny most of my winter running is on the treadmill. They rest of the time I like trails if I can avoid the ticks

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Mine too! And yes, avoiding the ticks is a huge concern there, isn't it? Not that we don't too, but avoiding Lyme disease is a big concern, I'd guess.

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Yup and that’s coming from a running and an ER practitioner perspective…. It’s not just Lyme they carry other bad stuff too😳🤯

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I live in Sydney, Australia and go running around the tracks in Lane Cove National park, Sydney harbourside and also around the hermitage from Rose Bay to Watsons bay in the summer months (often stopping for a quick dip at Shark Beach half way). Bondi to Coogee is a good run however gets very busy on the weekends. Have a great weekend all!

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I’ll be running the Hoka Sydney Half next month. Expecting some hills! I’ll be posting a race report on my blog

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Nice work John!

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Ahhhh, that all sounds AMAZING, Andrew. I'm so jealous! Would love to make it to Australia and New Zealand someday for a very long trip. Is there a best time of year to visit?

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If I had to pick a month it would be January, despite the crowds. Great weather, everyone is off work/school so there is a summer holiday buzz and its Sydney Festival so lots going on music, arts and culture wise.....then again Sydney is great all year round in my book.

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My aunt and uncle live in Sydney and it is so beautiful there! I like running through the botanical garden there

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Yes the botanical gardens and around the rocks and Opera house is always a nice lunch time run. You can also head under the Sydney Harbour Bridge and run around the wharfs through Walsh bay and down to Barangaroo.

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I’m in Atlanta, too! I do most of my runs in Druid Hills, Decatur and the Beltline. Running my 5th and last marathon in two weeks in Big Sur. Sticking with 1/2s going forward. Running the Blueberry Cove 1/2 in August.

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How cool is that? We're right around the corner from each other -- I'm in Sandy Springs, but I've run in Druid Hills many times, and occasionally on the Beltline too. You'll LOVE Big Sur -- I did the 21-miler there several years ago. It's just breathtaking. So you're running the marathon there? And it's your last?

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Northern Virginia (the DMV).

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Hey Jim! 👋

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Still in Lithuania, my dear friend :)

The main changes during recent year is that I joined local OCR team and also my 14 yo son liked it very much, so now I have my good friend as a running buddy :)

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Good to hear from you again, my friend! 😃 I'm so glad to hear your son is running with you on the OCR team -- I bet you're having a blast together!

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We'll still be in the PacNW. . . It seems like one of the few Safe Places in the US that has moderate winters! :)

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Back home in Williamsburg Virginia after a few weeks in Europe visiting daughter stationed in Stuttgart. It was Spring break for grandson, so we traveled from the Black Forest to Bavaria, then on to Netherlands for the spring flower fields, and wrapping up in the Alsace region of France. Now got to work off a bit of bier and bratwurst before tomorrow’s 5k in Colonial Williamsburg.

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What a trip! That sounds like an amazing adventure, David.

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Yes great book I have it. Great experience running with Raven. He is fascinating and still running 8 miles on the beach daily. You should definitely come down and run with him.

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Yes I ran with Raven once and correspond with him regularly.

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Seriously? Wow -- I've always wanted to do that; I got to interview Laura Lee Huttenbach a few years ago, who wrote the book about him that came about back then, 'Running With Raven.' What was the experience like? Is he still running every day?

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In Redmond, WA. Lived here since 2008. It sure has changed, and not for the better. Too much growth, though we have been lucky since both of us (my daughter and I) tend to be quiet and live by a greenbelt with the Sammamish Trail out our window. Traveling south once spring rolls on to actually buy a house in Oregon to get out of the "soup bowl" that has developed around Seattle, Lake Washington and the Islands by the tech industry. Rentals were cheap to begin with, but are now some of the highest in the country. . . just waiting for the housing bubble to burst (it will!) so we can buy outright and no longer pay a landlord.

After a long winter of sitting and recuperating from God knows What, the old body is getting ready to go again. . . start with the ChiWalk/Run method today, Chi Marathon training starts the 16th of May. Go from there and see what happens.

If I'm ever in Atlanta, it would be nice to meet up with other member of the community. . . or vice versa. . . The PacNW is pretty in the summer. Oregon along I-5 and on to Crater Lake is still considered the NW, though it has a bit more rain and fog!

Beautiful day here in the low 40s. Birds are all over outside my window. Take care! :)

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Another state to visit and do a half in

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