This is Dennis.

I don’t actually know his last name. We’re just casual pub friends, a fellow regular I randomly met at the local bar I’d wheel my dad over to in his final years. Unlike many of the other regulars there, whose daily routine just about every day is to drink crappy beer and talk sports and politics, Dennis is quite the outlier.

First, he’s there much less frequently, and doesn’t drink a ton of beer, and he doesn’t endlessly debate the sports story of the day. Also, he often orders a salad—a salad!—which seems rare at a place that’s literally named Cold Beers and Cheeseburgers. That’s probably because, unlike the others, he has a big goal he’s been working towards.

When we run into each other at the bar every week or three, we tend to chat about two things: marathons and travel.

You see, Dennis is about to complete his own personal quest to run a marathon in each of the 50 states. Prior to starting this, the only running he had done were some 5- and 10Ks. Oh, and he started this goal at the age of 53. So I think we can all agree that this is an impressive quest to adopt, let alone complete.

Well, Dennis is approaching the finish line. He’ll run in his last state—Connecticut—in May, a mere 153 months after starting.

Congrats Dennis! That next beer is on me.