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Route 66 runner passes through
Logan County
[August 15, 2026]
On Wednesday, the rain did not
stop Zach Fiske of Albany, New York, as he ran through Lincoln.
Fiske is running from Navy Pier in Chicago to Santa Monica Pier in
Los Angeles, a journey of over 2,400 miles. While in Lincoln, he
explored the Lincoln Heritage Museum, Lincoln’s Post Office, the
Public Library, Logan County Courthouse, and the Lincoln Fire
Station. He was planning on visiting the Route 66 Museum as his last
stop in Lincoln before heading south to Elkhart to stop for the
evening.
Before he arrived in Lincoln, Fiske
said he had stopped in Atlanta and visited the Giants Museum,
explored Atlanta, and had a meal at Country Aire. He was seen
running in the rain through the streets of Lincoln and stopped at
the new Lincoln Welcome Park for a photo with Abe and the covered
wagon.
Fiske said that he has wanted to run across the country for several
years and wanted to do a route with heritage and cultural
significance in hopes of learning more about the country and meeting
people along the way. He has run many long-distance projects
previously, including running across the state of New York.
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As he began
planning his run across the country, his mom gave him a book
about the Bunion Derby, a race that went from Los Angeles to
Chicago along Route 66 and then to New York City in 1928. To
celebrate the Bunion Derby, he is running it in reverse and
celebrating the centennial of Route 66. The Bunion Derby was
over 3,400 miles, and at the time, much of Route 66 was unpaved,
making for harsh running conditions. He also explained that
there is a misconception that long-distance, ultramarathon
running only dates to the 1960s and 70s, but it traces back over
100 years.
Throughout his run, he
is making stops in larger communities that have running clubs and is
taking time to meet people and explore Route 66 staples. He says he
has set dates to be in certain large cities, and he will stay with
friends and find a place through networking to keep hotel stays at a
minimum. Zach carries his essentials in a cart that he pushes as he
runs. The cart has a sign with the Route 66 logo on it, and he
periodically updates it with the miles he has run from Chicago and
how many he has left until Los Angeles.
He began his journey on August 4th and plans to arrive in Los
Angeles on November 1st. To keep up with his journey and learn more,
you can visit his
website
or
Instagram.
[Joli Boerma Crane]
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