Woman Completes Run Around U.S. Border

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By: Kraig Becker
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helene

A 55-year old woman has completed an epic long-distance run this week when she reached her finish line in Ocean Shores, Washington. That’s where Helene Nevelle ended her successful attempt to run around the entire parameter of the United States, covering an impressive 9715 miles (15,634 km) in the process.

According to Outside, the project was completed in stages over 330 nonconsecutive days that date back to the beginning of the run five years ago. The first stage of Helene’s trek around the U.S. covered the distance between Ocean Beach, California and Atlantic Beach, Florida. From there, she ran from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Tijuana, Mexico, and from Marathon, Florida, to Portland, Maine. The final leg of the journey began in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada, and ended in Ocean Shores, covering some 3680 miles (5922 km). That last segment started in May and ended earlier this week, requiring four months and 12 days to finish according to Runner’s World.

Nevelle first began running back in the 90’s as she recovered from Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She soon began covering longer distances, and has even run across the U.S. before, using her efforts to inspire others to become healthier. She frequently stopped at hospitals to visit with health care professionals and patients along the way as well. Nevelle herself is a nurse, and understands the challenges of the profession quite well.

On this final stage of the run, Helene learned that her cancer has returned, but she didn’t allow that diagnosis to get int he way of her reaching her goal. Now that she has finished, she’ll concentrate on her own health, and potentially writing a book about her experience. She also says she has been approached about a movie deal about the run as well. Hopefully she’ll be back on the road to good health herself soon, as this story is certainly an inspiration to others.

Kraig Becker
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