The Old Man and the Road

In the prologue for "The Old Man and the Road," author Paul Reese writes: "My affair with running across all 50 states might never have happened if, before I started, I had known the price -- 7,646 miles of running-jogging-walking, 558 days on the road (353 on foot), 60,000 miles of motor home driving, considerable expense, and much exposure to danger and considerable inconvenience and discomfort."

But not one to let the little things stop him, Reese goes on to run — and to pen this collection of reflections while finally completing a crossing of all 50 states on foot at age 80. As he writes: "One of the secrets of aging gracefully is always to have something to look forward to."

"The Old Man and the Road," picks up where his two previous memoirs of his decade-long quest leaves off, celebrating his 80th birthday by crossing the rest of the states east of the Mississippi, plus Alaska and Hawaii to complete a tour of the country that no one of any age had accomplished before. The seven-year, 7,600 mile odyssey ended on a beach in Hawaii, walking to the finish line with his longtime friend Dr. Ralph Paffenbarger.

"Each of us," writes Paul, "was just grateful to be alive, to be active, to be fully functional physically and mentally. I marveled at how such a simple act -- doing this walking with a close friend -- could overflow my day with joy."

The joy of simply moving through the final states flows through the third book in Paul Reese’s country-crossing trilogy, "The Old Man and the Road."

About the author
Paul Reese, a retired Marine Corps officer who saw action in World War II and Korea, began running long-distance races in 1964 as a 47-year-old. He became a nationally ranked age-group runner, with a best marathon time of 2:39 at age 55. He served for three years as running columnist for the Sacramento Bee. In 1990 at age 73, he became the oldest person ever to run across the United States. Paul lives with his wife, Elaine, in Auburn, Calif.

About the editor
Joe Henderson is a longtime columnist for Runner’s World magazine and the author of more than a dozen books on running and fitness, including "Masters Running and Racing" and "Total Fitness and Running, A to Z." He is also an adjunct assistant professor of journalism at the University of Oregon. A runner since his high school days in the late 1950s, he has competed in more than 700 races. He resides in Eugene, Ore.