PORTLAND, Ore. — When 73-year-old Jerry Korson from Salem crossed the finish line in New York City's Half Marathon two weeks ago, it was more than a singular race for him: It completed a goal of running a half marathon in every state.
"I knew it would get to that point; it just took a lot longer than I ever thought," Korson said.
Korson, an already avid runner, said the idea took shape in 2004. He had already run some races, including Hood to Coast and even some marathons. From there and with one foot in front of another, he slowly started to make the idea into a reality, usually by one vacation trip and two races at a time, he said.
Along the way, Korson chronicled his progress with pictures holding up his hands at the end of each race to show how many he had run.
Hanging up on the wall at his home in Salem, Korson has a map with pins in it to mark each race.
But the journey to meet his goal was not a straight line.
"In between that, you lose a couple of spots," Korson said. "My wife had cancer, cost me some time, COVID cost three full years right there, and I had my health situation."
That situation was glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer.
"I had brain surgery in November of '22," Korson said. "That put a stop on everything. You don't how you're going to come out — if you're going to come out. At that time, I still had five races left."
He said he was not sure if he would reach his goal, but he said the only thing a person can do is put a foot forward and keep going. Fortunately, he recovered enough to keep running.
"I feel healthy," Korson said. "I'm able to get out and get outside (and) run like I used to. No, speed is not an issue; finishing is an issue."
On March 17, Korson, along with more than 25,000 other runners, ran the New York City Half Marathon. For Korson, it was the culmination of a goal established 20 years ago.
Afterwards, Korson said he had some happy and sad regrets.
"It's regrettable because for so long, every vacation or trip that we planned included a run or two," he added. "Now, we're able to wherever and whenever and for whatever."
He said running helped him get through some of the toughest times.
Korson does not have any more races scheduled. His plan is to continue to stay active and to walk, hike and ride his bike.