Local runner completes marathon in all 50 states Phil Schadd checks off 50th marathon after ACL surgery

BAD AXE — A catastrophic knee injury can create not only a physical setback, but a mental one as well for many people. But Laker High School graduate Phil Schadd used his torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in 2001 as a fulcrum to accomplish an impressive feat.

As of last month, Schadd has entered in and completed marathons in all 50 states, a testament to his commitment and drive over the past two decades.

“A lot of people think you have to be a special athlete to run a marathon, but I’m living proof that you don’t because I never had played any sports in high school,” Schadd said. “I just decided one day that I wanted to try it, and then I just had the courage to sign up and just never quit.”

During rehab for his torn left ACL, Schadd entered the realm of long distance running as a method to strengthen his still-recovering knee. By introducing the ligament to low, continual stress, Schadd slowly regained strength in his left leg and began logging miles across the country.

“One of the ways to strengthen that after surgery was to run, so I started running,” Schadd said. “I found out that I had some endurance, so I decided to sign up for the New York City Marathon in 2003. Basically, it was the first race of any distance I had done in my lifetime.”

At 33 years old, Schadd entered a lottery and was selected to participate in the NYC Marathon, an experience that is still fresh in his memory to this day.

“It’s a great way to see the country,” Schadd said. “I’ve been to each and every one of the 50 states, and some of them multiple times, for runs. You get to see what a beautiful country this is and different scenery this country has. It’s more than what we have just around here.”

Out of all the races Schadd has participated in, a mountain-based course through Colorado is one of the more notable memories from his marathon career, as the Bad Axe resident was tasked with climbing and descending a 14,000-foot mountain en route to traveling the requisite 26.2 miles.

“I prefer trail runs,” Schadd said. “A lot of the runs out west that I did were on trails and more difficult courses. I didn’t always pick the easy route to completing a marathon in each state, but I did pick races that I either knew people, so I could go visit them and make it kind of a mini vacation, or some place that was very scenic that I thought would be good for a run.”

To cap off his challenge of at least 50 marathons in 50 states, Schadd knocked the last state off his list at 49 years of age.

“My 50th state was in Nevada,” Schadd said. “We were running just outside of Las Vegas in the Mojave Desert. This was Sept. 21, so it was still technically summertime. Their time zones are a little bit different out there, so it gets dark quite a bit earlier. We had to run with a headlamp and we were required to wear a reflective vest so that any cars on the course could see.”

Overall, Schadd’s personal best time of three hours and 40 minutes occurred when the long distance runner legged out the Oklahoma City Marathon in 2008.

In the coming years, Schadd would like to test his endurance in the water and participate in the AuSable River Canoe Marathon, an overnight canoe race taking place in Grayling and finishing in Oscoda.