LOCAL RUNNING

SCHERERVILLE | There are no shortcuts while attempting to run 50 marathons in 50 states.

Or are there?

"My favorite marathon is the 'Hatfield and McCoy,' " said Doug Walter, who is on the verge of becoming a 50-50 man. "It starts in Kentucky and ends in West Virginia."

So that counts as two, right?

"No," Walter said. "You have to run it twice if you want credit for both states."

At least that's the rule of the 50 States Marathon Club, of which Walter is a member.

"You have to have at least 10 states completed to be a member," said Walter, who has 45.

Walter also is a member of the Calumet Region Striders running club, which he joined when he lived in LaPorte. Though he has since moved to Goshen, Walter has remained active with the club in terms of Gold Cup Series participation and volunteer service.

Coming up on four years straight, Walter has completed a marathon a month. It started after he ran the New York City Marathon in 2004. Walter estimated that he would be able run a marathon in all 50 states by the time he turned 50 by doing four different states a year.

Then he shifted up a gear.

"I just decided to see if I could do one a month for a year," Walter said. "And then it was two years, and then three years ..."

This December, Walter is due to achieve his 50-state goal when he competes in the Honolulu, Hawaii race. If all goes well, Walter will reach the milestone five years shy of his 50th birthday.

"There have been more people in space than there have been people who have run a marathon in all 50 states," Walter said.

Still, Walter has respect for those who have just completed one.

"I'm impressed by anyone who has started and finished a marathon," he said. "You just can't get up in the morning and decide that you'll run a marathon today. You have to train and be really dedicated to it."