YASIRSALEM

Endure

Apparently eating wasn't enough. I learned to swim in 2012 and finished my first Ironman the next summer. The running got out of hand from there.

Yasir Salem crossing an Ironman finish line at night
Marathons & ultras
108
Ironman finishes
4
World Marathon Majors
6/6
New York City Marathons
14
Miles in 24 hours
410

Nov 4, 2018 to Nov 3, 2019

50 marathons. 50 states. One year.

I ran it for my late wife, Gweneviere Mann. She passed away from lung cancer in the summer of 2018. We ran our first marathon together, New York in 2010, a year after she recovered from surgery for a brain tumor, and ran eight marathons together after that. A few months after she passed, I started at the New York City Marathon and kept going until I had run every state.

In between: back-to-back days on the Mainly Marathons circuit, Kona in June, Anchorage, the Dust Bowl, and a fastest-ever 3:57:06 in Mesa.

Why I ran 50 The year by the numbers

All 50 states, in order
  1. 2018.11.04TCS New York City MarathonNew York, NY4:04:25
  2. 2018.11.11Rock n Roll Las Vegas MarathonLas Vegas, NV4:06:27
  3. 2018.11.18Philadelphia MarathonPhiladelphia, PA4:17:46
  4. 2018.11.25Seattle MarathonSeattle, WA4:07:09
  5. 2018.12.01St Jude Memphis MarathonMemphis, TN4:56:02
  6. 2018.12.08Rocket City MarathonHuntsville, AL4:15:30
  7. 2019.01.13Walt Disney World MarathonOrlando, FL4:37:24
  8. 2019.01.20The Louisiana MarathonBaton Rouge, LA4:12:38
  9. 2019.01.26Mississippi Blues MarathonJackson, MS4:09:29
  10. 2019.02.09Mesa-Phoenix MarathonMesa, AZ3:57:06PB
  11. 2019.02.17Austin MarathonAustin, TX4:14:13
  12. 2019.02.24Hyannis MarathonHyannis, MA4:21:19
  13. 2019.03.02Myrtle Beach MarathonMyrtle Beach, SC4:38:07
  14. 2019.03.03Little Rock MarathonLittle Rock, AR4:18:04
  15. 2019.03.09Wrightsville Beach MarathonWilmington, NC4:05:58
  16. 2019.03.17Atlanta MarathonAtlanta, GA4:15:44
  17. 2019.03.21Mainly Marathon Dust Bowl Series - Day 2 NMClayton, NM5:17:37
  18. 2019.03.22Mainly Marathon Dust Bowl Series - Day 3 OKGuymon, OK5:10:45
  19. 2019.03.24Chisholm Trail MarathonWichita, KS4:13:49
  20. 2019.04.07Go! St Louis MarathonSt Louis, MO4:16:20
  21. 2019.04.27Kentucky Derby Festival MarathonLouisville, KY4:20:28
  22. 2019.04.28New Jersey MarathonOceanport, NJ4:53:36
  23. 2019.05.05Flying Pig MarathonCincinnati, OH4:14:38
  24. 2019.05.18Fargo MarathonFargo, ND4:17:27
  25. 2019.05.19Denver Colfax MarathonDenver, CO4:30:54
  26. 2019.05.26Vermont City MarathonBurlington, VT4:28:19
  27. 2019.06.01Utah Valley MarathonProvo, UT4:03:51
  28. 2019.06.18Mainly Marathon Independence Series - Day 1 - DEBear, DE4:57:43
  29. 2019.06.19Mainly Marathon Independence Series - Day 2 MDElkton, MD6:08:42
  30. 2019.06.22Anchorage Mayor's MarathonAnchorage, AK4:43:42
  31. 2019.06.30Kona MarathonKona, HI5:00:55
  32. 2019.07.11Mainly Marathon Heartland Series - Day 5 IAClinton, IA5:10:07
  33. 2019.07.12Mainly Marathon Heartland Series - Day 6 WISparta, WI6:07:40
  34. 2019.07.13Mainly Marathon Heartland Series - Day 7 MNSt Cloud, MN6:00:27
  35. 2019.07.21Violet State MarathonWoonsocket, RI5:39:28
  36. 2019.07.28San Francisco MarathonSan Francisco, CA4:15:58
  37. 2019.08.20Mainly Marathon Center of the Nation - Day 2 NEChadron, NE6:04:34
  38. 2019.08.21Mainly Marathon Center of the Nation - Day 3 WYSundance, WY7:16:43
  39. 2019.08.22Mainly Marathon Center of the Nation - Day 4 SDBelle Fourche, SD5:46:01
  40. 2019.08.31Pocatello MarathonPocatello, ID4:04:37
  41. 2019.09.21Pacific Northwest MarathonHarrisburg, OR4:15:05
  42. 2019.09.22Foy's to Blacktail MarathonKalispell, MT7:40:24
  43. 2019.09.28Mill Race MarathonColumbus, IN4:37:21
  44. 2019.09.30Eastern Panhandle MarathonMartinsburg, WV6:17:26
  45. 2019.10.05New Hampshire MarathonBristol, NH4:29:44
  46. 2019.10.06Maine MarathonPortland, ME4:37:38
  47. 2019.10.12Hartford MarathonHartford, CT4:21:42
  48. 2019.10.13Chicago MarathonChicago, IL4:24:25
  49. 2019.10.20Detroit Free Press MarathonDetroit, MI4:54:35
  50. 2019.10.27Marine Corps MarathonArlington, VA5:52:16

140.6 miles, four times

Ironman

Yasir Salem on a time-trial bike during an Ironman bike leg beside a river
  1. 1Ironman Mont-Tremblant (North American Championship)Mont-Tremblant, QC, Canada, 201314:33:43
  2. 2Ironman CanadaWhistler, BC, Canada, 201416:04:55
  3. 3Ironman MarylandCambridge, MD, 201413:50:27PR
  4. 4Ironman MuskokaHuntsville, ON, Canada, 201515:25:16

Plus 3 Ironman 70.3 races and 8 Olympic and sprint triathlons. Triathlon results

World Marathon Majors

All six.

Yasir Salem holding two donut racing trophies piled with donuts
Photo: Emiliano Granado

The contradiction

The best competitive eaters are in the best shape.

That's what I told Runner's World in 2017. Endurance training built the capacity. Competitive eating gave the training a reason. Donut racing is where they finally met: 26 races, 21 wins.

I eat about a 5-lb. salad every lunch, sometimes 6 lb.

amNY, 2017

April 20, 2020

The Beantown Marathon

Races were cancelled, so I ran a marathon in my living room: 3,144 laps and 26 bowls of beans, one per mile, livestreamed on Instagram.

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