Back on the Road: Crossing Minnesota

We are so excited to get back out there again.

Shan is running the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon on October 4, 2026. We could have just gone to Minneapolis for the race, but we decided to take the long way there instead - 312 miles across Minnesota, Shan running and Josh cycling alongside with the gear, the same way we've done it since 2021.

This will be our first expedition since our West Coast Honeymoon trip in 2023 - shorter, but a completely different kind of scenery. No ocean sunsets like the Pacific Coast, no busy cities like the East Coast Greenway, and nothing like our vanlife trips either. Just views of Minnesota countryside, at our usual pace of 40 miles a day, taken in from the comfort of running shoes and a bike saddle.

After we complete our journey past prairie, farmland, and more lakes than you can count, Shan will line up for the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. A victory lap. A cool down. Encore jog. Whatever you want to call it.

It’s great to be planning something again — we are so ready for this.

Just the two of us, back out there doing the thing we love.

Now. Here are the logistics.

Getting there.

We'll drive to Minneapolis, leave our car in long-term parking, load our stuff into a rental car, and drive to Fargo, making two potential stops: Birchbark Bookstore in Minneapolis and Dambo’s Trolls in Detroit Lakes, MN.

We will arrive in Fargo on Thursday, September 24th, drop off the rental car, check into the hotel, and handle any final preparations. As usual, we will start the trip with a shorter day to give our bodies time to adjust and give us a buffer in case we have any hiccups. This time around, Days 2 and 3 are kinda big since we had limited lodging options. But we'll make it work!

The Mileage.

Start: Friday, September 25th - Fargo, ND

Finish: Saturday, October 3rd - Prescott, WI

** Sunday, October 4th - Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon

Sept 25 (Fri): Fargo to Barnesville — 30 mi

Sept 26 (Sat): Barnesville to Fergus Falls — 47 mi

Sept 27 (Sun): Fergus Falls to Alexandria — 46 mi

Sept 28 (Mon): Alexandria to Melrose — 38 mi

Sept 29 (Tue): Melrose to St Cloud — 41 mi

Sept 30 (Wed): St Cloud to Elk River — 37 mi

Oct 1 (Thu): Elk River to Brooklyn Center — 24 mi

Oct 2 (Fri): Brooklyn Center to St. Paul — 29 mi

Oct 3 (Sat): Finish at Prescott — 26 mi

Oct 4 (Sun): Twin Cities Marathon victory lap — 26.2 mi

Shan's perspective

I am so happy that after two years we are able to do another completely human-powered adventure!  I think this will be the 28th state I have run across and the 18th that Josh and I have done together—it's the best way to see the country.  It's a little over two weeks before we start, and I feel good. Training has gone well over the last few months; I've had several 100+ mile weeks, with most weeks including one or two 30-50 mile days.  It will be nice to see the great state of Minnesota; previously, I have only visited Minneapolis to visit clients or driven through during vanlife.  I like to listen to audiobooks or podcasts about the states I am running through. If anyone reading this knows of any good ones, please send them my way.  

Josh's perspective.

One difference this time: I took time off from work. To be honest, I'm a little nervous about how my body will handle the effort this time around. After a broken leg in 2024 and back surgery in 2025, I've been relearning when to push and when to hold back — it's been tough facing both comebacks and setbacks. So, there's a bit more caution woven into this trip than usual. My work could be done remotely, like always, but skipping it this time means less risk of pushing too hard, too fast, and more time for us to just be out there together.

We don't know exactly how this one will go - and that's a little bit the point of this style of adventure anyway. So we're lacing up, loading the bike, and heading out. Follow along as we cross the state, one mile at a time.