An impressive running total

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A few years ago Diane Ciardelli made a goal. The Rosemount woman wanted to run a marathon in all 50 states before she turned 50 in April 2012.

By the end of October, the mom of three will complete that goal. In October she will run marathons in Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts, completing her five year quest.

While she had hoped to finish with the Boston Marathon, Ciardelli hasn’t been able to finish the 26.2 miles in under four hours, which is the qualifying time for the race. She will run the Cape Cod Marathon instead. Ciardelli’s fastest finish was four hours and three minutes.

“It’s been great fun and took on a life of its own,” Ciardelli said of her 50 marathons by 50 goal.

Ciardelli hasn’t always been a diehard runner. In fact, she didn’t start to seriously run until after her 40th birthday.

Ciardelli started running because she wanted to lose weight and get fit. In the winter of 2006, she picked up a book at Half Price Books on running marathons. Then she signed up for the Twin Cities marathon.

“I enjoyed it and kept looking for more,” said Ciardelli. That eventually led to her goal to run in all 50 states.

Ciardelli said going to the different states has been fun, although she’ll admit she liked some marathons more than others. Her favorite was the Big Sur Marathon in California. Her least favorite was in Mississippi.

Ciardelli runs a lot every week to stay in fighting form, although she doesn’t run every day. She said Rosemount is a wonderful place to run because of all the trails and sidewalks around town.

After running more than 50 marathons Ciardelli said she’s learned a lot but added that it never gets easy.

“It’s always a battle,” said Ciardelli.

Since she started running, Ciardelli has lost 30 pounds and can pretty much eat what she wants. Additionally the 49-year-old said she hasn’t experienced any issues with cholesterol or blood pressure like many people her age do. An added bonus, Ciardelli said she’s mentally tougher than when she started.

“It’s had a positive impact on my life,” she said.

Along the way Ciardelli has met a lot of friends she stays in contact with. Her family and friends also have given her a lot of support.

“I am very proud of her,” said Ciardelli’s sister, JoAnne Gill.

To keep people up on her adventures, Ciardelli sends out a newsletter after each marathon. The newsletter goes out to about 80 people. Ciardelli hopes that in some way she can inspire others to exercise.

“Stay active and feel good,” said Ciardelli.

Nearing the end of her goal, Ciardelli isn’t about to hang up her running shoes. She will keep running marathons and has made a list of the Canadian provinces as her next goal.

For now, though, she’s concentrating on her last three states. Watch out Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Here comes Diane Ciardelli.

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