Sep 17, 2026 · 1h 54m
William Goodge bets on grief, logistics and one more step
If I Can, I Will: William Goodge On Running 50 Marathons In 50 States In 24 Days
Goodge’s 50-marathon challenge turns endurance into a test of grief, public trust, team discipline and the limits of human recovery.
- 1Goodge’s 24-day route depends on precise flights, driving, recovery, crew coordination and contingency planning across all 50 states.
- 2His mother’s death from cancer transformed endurance projects into fundraising efforts and a way to keep grief active rather than private.
- 3The episode weighs ultra-running’s new cinematic visibility against its older spiritual core, arguing that discipline and joy can coexist.
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Goodge reduces an overwhelming 24-day, 50-marathon undertaking to a single mental test: whether he can take one more step.
The brief
William Goodge joins Rich Roll ahead of Mission America, a plan to run 50 marathons in 50 states over 24 days, beginning in Hawaii and ending at the New York City Marathon.
The challenge is less a single athletic feat than a moving logistics operation: flights, driving, private aviation, limited sleep, fueling, medical care and a large crew must keep the route alive.
Goodge traces his endurance work to losing his mother to cancer, using fundraising with Stand Up To Cancer and annual birthday runs to turn grief into sustained action.
The conversation examines ultra-running’s shift toward social media, sponsors and high-production films, while asking whether spectacle can preserve the sport’s spiritual and experiential center.
Goodge’s governing question is deliberately small: can he take one more step? It becomes a philosophy for handling fear, grief and uncertainty without pretending the outcome is guaranteed.
The episode closes on the power of team, especially Robbie Ballinger, and on Goodge’s insistence that extreme discipline need not exclude pleasure, friendship or an unapologetically full life.
Featuring
Stand Up To Cancer
United StatesBooks & mentions
Atomic Habits
A grounded companion to the episode’s discussion of habits, discipline and incremental progress.
Above the Clouds
A memoiristic counterpoint on endurance, ambition and the inner life of extreme athletic projects.
Finding Ultra
Rich Roll’s memoir extends the conversation about transformation, endurance and rebuilding a life through difficult change.
Listen to the full episode and explore every guest, topic, and moment on PodLume.