Portland Native Returns Home in Bid to Run Race in 50 States

Plenty of people collect things; postage stamps, dolls, comic books, you name it there is probably someone who collects it. It’s a relaxing and fun pastime and usually not something that gets your heart pumping. For Susie (Edmonds) Pline, collecting takes on a bit more of an active bent. Pline collects races.

She has run all sorts and lengths of races from 5Ks to marathons. She has even run the New York City Marathon three times. An avid runner, Pline set the goal to run a race in each of the 50 states. That’s a goal she recently achieved when she ran the Portland Civic Players 5K race at the Red Mill Community Day on August 28th.

Originally from Portland, Pline decided to come back to her hometown to run the final race and complete her race across the country. “It was fun to visit our Portland family and friends and to spend time enjoying small-town America,” she says. Susie and her husband Patrick are both graduates of the Portland High School class of 1969.

After living in Manhattan, the Plines moved to Boone, North Carolina in 2018 to spend more time enjoying the outdoors. In addition to running, the couple also enjoy hiking, cross country skiing, kayaking and biking together. They have thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail and most of the Continental Divide adn Pacific Crest Trails.

Their travels have taken them to all 63 National Parks which is the spark for Susie Pline’s next big goal. A budding author, Pline is currently writing a children’s book about each of the National Parks. She has written three so far in the autobiographical collection of travel stories for kids. Her work is available for purchase on Amazon.

PHOTOS: Courtesy Patrick and Susie Pline.