A close look at some of the handsome medals won by Nashua retiree Brian Crawford reveal some fine awards indicating the fulfilment of his personal goal to complete a half marathon in each of the 50 states, one realized with a recent road race in Maui, Hawaii. Photo by LORETTA JACKSON

NASHUA – The shoosh-shoosh, thump-thump cadence of footfalls and heartbeats stoked to a healthy speed at a multitude of half marathons of 13.1 miles, stateside and in Hawaii, recently marked for Brian Crawford of Nashua a lofty goal — the achievement of running a half marathon in each of the 50 states.

“I’ve always found that, once I get going and find the zone, as they call it, I really start to relax,” said Crawford, age 66. “I just do it for fun, as nobody cares how fast or slow you go.”

Crawford’s current tally of 92 half marathons includes 23 in New Hampshire. Five full marathons of 26.2 miles are additional accomplishments.

Crawford’s wife Tina, a retired Kindergarten teacher at Nashua’s Sunset Heights Elementary School, is his proud cheerleader. Crawford is retired from sales of high tech for KLA Corp., a global semiconductor manufacturer.

The couple, Nashuans since 1986, have two sons. Danny, age 36, is a New York City teacher. Chris, age 33, visits from Silver Springs in Maryland. The young men occasionally join their dad in running road races, solo or in tandem.

Brian Crawford, officially documented runner of half marathon road races of 13.1 miles in all 50 states, plus five full marathons of 26.2 miles just for fun, cherishes a keepsake T-shirt that when acquired in 2016 from the 50 states Half Marathon Club in Colorado bore only a black line drawing of the nation’s states, boundaries that now are fully colored in with a variety of marker pens, hues applied one state at a time, as he completed races in each of this nation’s 50 states. Photo by LORETTA JACKSON

The trio’s exploits include the Flying Pirate Half Marathon in North Carolina, the New Orleans Half Marathon, the Disney World Half Marathon and the New York Marathon.

Crawford said he has been a member since 2016 of the 50 States Half Marathon Club, an enthusiasts’ group based in Colorado that hosts a variety of athletic events around the world.

The Crawfords maintain a “Wall of Honor” in their home that showcases the man’s extensive collection of around 120 medals of silver, bronze or pewter, each suspended from a hook bearing the medal at the end of a silken ribbon, mostly woven in designated race colors.

A club T-shirt that initially featured a thin black outline of each of the country’s 50 states is now filled in with each state’s half marathon conquest denoted in marker pen. Hawaii offered a grand finale to Crawford’s 50 state adventure, a scenic half marathon finished Jan. 19 on Maui. The Aloha State is colored bright yellow.

Tina credits her husband of 38 years with giving back to his community through stewardship as Chairman of the Board of Family Promise of Southern New Hampshire. The Nashua social services organization focuses on ending homelessness for families.

A bit more space for future award medals is reserved on the “Wall of Honor” at the Nashua home of runner Brian Crawford, newly acknowledged by the prestigious 50 States Half Marathon Club, an enthusiasts group based in Colorado that hosts athletic events worldwide, as having completed half marathon races of 13.1 miles in every one of the 50 states, culminating with a recent competition in Hawaii. Photo by LORETTA JACKSON

Crawford urges anyone curious about running, walking, swimming, biking or wheelchair racing any length of contest anywhere to have no fear of the unknown.

“There are different levels for everyone,” said Crawford. “Just find an activity you’re comfortable with and do it to have fun, meet people and stay healthy.”

Information on the 50 States Half Marathon Club can be found online at 50stateshalfmarathonclub.com.

Brian Crawford, husband, father of two avid runners and a resident of Nashua since 1986, shares a look at around 120 medals awarded to him at the finish of exhilarating road races that have included 92 half marathons, stateside and in Hawaii, endeavors that were undertaken for fun and to realize a personal goal of vanquishing half marathons in each of the 50 states. Photo by LORETTA JACKSON