Local man runs seven marathons in seven states in seven days

Lakewood Ranch Running Club’s John Izzo, 68, let the morning dew fill his nostrils as he stood at the starting line. Then, he ran.

And ran. And ran.

It started at 6:30 a.m. April 10, in Winnsboro, La.,’s Civitan Park.

Izzo would complete 22 laps around the 1.191-mile loop, a full marathon. He would then go back to his hotel room and relax. For a bit.

He would then awaken at 4 a.m. the next day to pack his clothes and drive to Lake Chicot State Park in Arkansas. He ran another marathon that day.

His routine stayed the same the rest of the week. His journey was a part of Mainly Marathon’s Riverboat series, which featured seven marathons in seven states in seven days. One of Izzo’s running goals has been to complete a marathon in all 50 states, and he took some big strides toward that goal with the series. He now has 35 states down, 15 to go. He hopes to have all 50 done within two years.

Izzo accomplished the feat with friends, Bradenton’s Ted Watson and Monroe, Wash.,’s Eric Ciocco. He also made friends along the way as Mainly Marathon requires runners to wear a bib emblazoned with their name. 

When remembering this particular trip, one locale will stand above the rest in Izzo’s mind.

“Kentucky was probably the coolest one,” Izzo said. “It was out by a battlefield on the Mississippi (River). When we started in the morning, on top of the first hill a couple hundred yards out, it overlooked the Mississippi. There were barges lined up on both sides. It was dark. It was just a beautiful sight.”

Aside from Louisiana, Arkansas and Kentucky, the Riverboat series also made stops in Mississippi, Tennessee, Missouri and finished in Illinois. The longest drive between states was approximately three hours, from Hollandale, Miss., to Millington, Tenn.

No races presented a big challenge, he said. As a precursor, he ran five marathons in five states a few years ago. He made no changes to his usual workout routine then, and he didn’t this time, either. He did run the marathons slower than normal to conserve energy, but that was Izzo’s only tweak. His average finish was 5 hours, 25 minutes, with the only outlier being the first race.

The adrenaline was pumping that day, and Izzo finished in 4 hours, 45 minutes. Throughout the week, he never got tired enough to think about heading home early. For Izzo, running is a pleasure. He’s not worried about his finishing time. The sights are nice, and making friends is fun, but those are not the main reasons Izzo runs. 

“I quit drinking about 32 years ago,” Izzo said. “I think I substituted running in its place as an addiction. I call it a positive addiction. The rush that you get, the endorphins that you get from long runs, I think is what keeps me coming back and doing it.”

Izzo typically runs six days a week to maintain his conditioning. His practice runs could be five miles to 16 miles.

He plans on running for the rest of his days, as long as he stays healthy. He’s lucky, so far, to not have suffered any injuries that affect his ability to run. 

“It’s a passion of mine,” Izzo said. “It’s a passion alongside golf ... I play golf six days a week. If I had to give one up, I would give up golfing and continue to run.”