151,278 feet of climb / 151,311 feet of descent
2,862 MILES.
And lots of calories, water, electrolytes, sneakers, and stories.
Starting August 16, Morgan will begin to run across the USA starting in San Francisco, California and ending in Baltimore, Maryland. As an athlete the majority of her life, Morgan's goal is to take her lifetime of learning the hard way and package them into one masterpiece of persistence. The target and plan is an average of 70 miles per day.
"It all comes down to a matter of will. Every action and reaction can be dissected by what you are willing or not willing to do, and by the nature of establishing such, you realize you must inherently accept the opposing result."
There will be an endless number of moments throughout this endeavor where her 'will' is going to be tested. Tired legs, the monotony, the heat, the climb, the hydration and nutrition. All of the little moments matter day after day.
What are you willing to do to achieve a goal of your own?
frequently asked questions
HOW DID THIS ALL BEGIN?
It all started with a friend and colleague who recommended she look into world records. As an avid, addicted runner, the thought in that suggestion was she could merely submit records of her multiple years worth of daily no-day-off long distance running and by default, achieve such a title. But that seed grew into something entirely different. Submitting evidence of something she did every day had no appeal; there was no honor in 'achieving' a title without a challenge. That idea created a spark to look into options beyond traditional road / trail events. What would fit her taste for challenging mental toughness in solitude, letting her stubborn / persistent characteristics shine, something that aligned with her clumsiness (that takes a love of trails off the list) and let her body hit optimal performance which for her is like a machine: the more it runs, the smoother it gets. Then ~4 years ago, there it was: the fastest crossing of America on foot.
WHY BALTIMORE?
The record breaking rules require the route be between two coastal cities and no less than the original founding 2,790 miles which was from Los Angeles to New York City. The most recent record holders had been running from San Franciso to New York City. But NYC just didn't sit right. In late 2010, Morgan's nephew abruptly began having seizures. Within just a few months they were occurring dozens of times per month visually (i.e. grand mal) and after multiple studies they learned his brain was seizing as many as 200 times per day. Within two and a half years at 9 years of age he was diagnosed with Rasmussen's Encephilitis and only one known cure: remove an entire half of his brain. The world renowned physicians at John Hopkins in Baltimore, MD saved his ability to live a full life; he remains seizure free to this day. He is now a college graduate pursuing his Masters in Social Work to assist other individuals in need. Just imagine that for a moment: a young boy losing an entire hemisphere of his brain is capable of doing all the things that you and I do every day. He does it with kindness. He does it with gratitude. He never once complained about his condition or the challenges added to his daily life that many of us take for granted. That is inspiration in and of itself. The body, mind and spirit are resilient. But Baltimore delivered even more. There is a memory Morgan will never forget. It is seared in her brain as a beacon of what our society needs more of today. On the morning of her nephew's final surgery as the sleepless family walked together to the hospital carrying the heavy weight of what was yet to come, a city bus slowed down as it passed. A man, a stranger, a person of different ethnicity, different background, a person who had nothing to gain from this moment, hung out the window, pumped his fist, and delivered a simple message with a big grin, 'You can do it buddy! You got this!' But they weren't just words. They came with an energy the entire family needed. They were a blanket of hope, of love. A simple moment of shared compassion and humanity. They brightened one of the darkest moments of their lives and they never got to say thank you. Maybe achieving this feat will bring enough visibility to find that man so they can say the two simple words they never were able to say in return. If he did it for this family, he likely does it for others. He deserves to be honored for spreading the love and kindness this world needs.
WHAT DOES WRA STAND FOR?
WRA stands for World Record Attempt. But, we also branded it as the Wandering Running Albatross back in 2024. At that time, Morgan led a team at work on a project called Project Snowgoose (you all know who you are and two of those team members are connected to this crew). In short, the task was deemed impossible to achieve not just in cost but, most notably, in time. The team heard that every day from peers and managers. There were curve balls of all kinds: weather, vendor issues, loss of staff, system and team dynamic challenges; the list was endless and the punches just kept coming. But that team stayed focused, resilient and in the end, finished on time to the day and under budget. Morgan was so proud of the team. During a follow on meeting, she asked one member what else WRA could stand for and that individual recommended another bird. The Albatross is one of the only birds that migrates not just north/south but it also migrates east/west. It seemed fitting given the San Francisco to Baltimore route. Ironically, the Albatross is able to stay in flight without touching down (land or sea) as long as 46 days. (The Guardian article from January 14, 2005). Considering Morgan's 2024 goal of besting 46 days, all signs point to setting the target and do not waiver. It can be achieved.
Where did "Inspire Me to Inspire You" come from?
The initial attempt in 2024 while disappointing, it was a blessing on so many fronts. One of the greatest realizations Morgan had was how much other people are inspired by just following along. Sometimes it just takes a spark. So instead of attempting this feat completely underground, we have created this website and a social media presence in the hopes that anyone who just needs that trigger to start taking their own actions toward their own challenge may find it here. If I can do this, think of what you can do. The design and verbiage is intentional: It is a continuous cycle, pay it forward hope that by completing this challenge, it inspires others to attempt a challenge of their own, something they know they should do or have wanted to do. Action, consistent daily action, starts with the first step.
WHAT INSPIRES MORGAN?
People who overcome. Individuals willing to rise to the occasion when the going gets tough through consistent grit and resilience. The ones willing to sacrifice what they want to do in the vein of doing what they ought to do. The acceptance of suffering (mentally, emotionally and/or physically) turned into character building assets inspiring others on a path of full accountability, growth and wellness. "I have been fortunate that my parents and early mentors/coaches set me on a path of embracing 'the work' as a part of 'the product' and as such, my adult athletic career was fairly decent. But I have always been far more inspired by the individuals who are older, less fit, finish last, or merely complete the event or task despite some disability or challenge. The mental strength they have to show up, persevere, gut it out to the finish, even if it takes 4x longer than the so called elite athletes and to do so with respect, grace and often, the largest smile in the crowd ... that has always impressed me. In the running space, I always say to individuals questioning their ability before their events, "You CAN do it. It's just a matter of how long it takes and how bad it's going to hurt." Time is factor in the equation of resilience and there is so much inspiration I get from those that show up and execute until the task is complete no matter the pain, no matter the suffering, no matter if alone, no matter the duration."
A DARE TURNED
INTO A MISSION.
There is so much more to the story but we'll leave all of that for you to discover along the journey. After years of preparation, coordination and even disappointments, we hope that our journey and all of the experiences throughout will inspire YOU to take on a challenge of your own.
