Seafair Marathon 9th of 50 in 50 days for runner on Katrina relief mission

It took Sam Thompson three hours and 45 minutes to cross the finish line at Sunday's Seafair Marathon in Bellevue — more than an hour longer than the men's leader, who clocked in at just 2:25:24. But Thompson wasn't concerned about what some competitive runners would consider a lackluster finish.

Speed isn't exactly a priority when you've got 41 more marathons to go.

Thompson is the 25-year-old man behind the 50 in 50 in 50 Run For Hope, his personal quest to run 50 marathons in all 50 states in 50 days to raise awareness — and money, he hopes — for the still-struggling Mississippi Gulf Coast, battered last summer by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

"I had the idea several years ago of running 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days," Thompson said in a phone interview Thursday after he completed the Marathon de Mayo in Reno, Nev. "At that point, I thought my real plan was just to do it for fun. But later I realized it could be an idyllic way to touch the country."

Thompson tries to run in actual marathon events but uses Global Positioning System navigation and marathon-route maps to complete a 26.2-mile course in a new state every day if a real marathon isn't scheduled.

Before the hurricanes hit his home state, the Vicksburg, Miss., native operated a sports-apparel company in Dallas, Texas. Thompson happened to be visiting his parents in Vicksburg on the same day Katrina washed away the homes and lives of thousands on the Gulf Coast.

"There wasn't much damage in Vicksburg, but I thought that since my job was flexible and I had the time, I'd go down for a couple of weeks," he said. "Until I left to run, I've been there ever since."

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More about Sam Thompson:

www.50in50in50.com

He rescued stranded victims, cooked meals and helped families and churches clean up and repair their homes and buildings. His temporary efforts soon became long term when his childhood church decided to sponsor his work.

But as Thompson, leading many volunteers, continued cleanup work day after day, life outside of the Mississippi River delta and the nearby Gulf Coast communities started to return to normal. Media outlets moved Katrina-related news off the front page and gave it less air time.

Eventually, Thompson said, it was as if the hurricane-affected areas he was working so hard to bring back didn't exist at all.

So he decided to run.

An avid long-distance runner, he left his volunteer work in Mississippi on July 1, when he ran the Leadville Trail Marathon, his first of 50, in Colorado. Traveling from state to state, he's accompanied by his mother, plus a videographer and his girlfriend, Kirsten Sellerit, who's a registered dietician at the University of Washington Medical Center.

On Saturday, he ran a scheduled marathon in Cordova, Alaska, a town better known for the nearby Copper River and its flavorful salmon.

Today, Thompson and his crew will be in Boise, Idaho, where he's hoping to complete the City of Trees Marathon course, his 10th consecutive daily 26.2-mile run. He'll be wearing the same white tank top he wears in every race, with "I NEED A SPONSOR" painted in big block letters.

Even while self-financing his endeavor, Thompson is hoping he can garner the attention and financial support he believes the Mississippi coast desperately needs.

"I finally have the cause and the mission for my run," he said. "I want to reawaken the nation."

Nathan Hurst: 206-464-2112 or nhurst@seattletimes.com