Iowa Man Marathoning Through Patch Towns Around Lake Michigan

An Iowa man is making his way along the North Shore during his 40 marathons in 40 days to help find a cure for cancer — and he’s looking for runners to join him. 

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Steve Cannon began his Run to Cure Cancer on Sunday at Navy Pier in Chicago, IL. He plans to run the 1,037 miles along the entire Lake Michigan coastline, the sixth-largest lake in the world. 

His trip will take him through many different towns, including some surrounding Milwaukee.

Cannon has completed more than 30 marathons already according to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article, many of which have been 24-hour races, but his goal with this race is not the length of the journey, but to raise awareness and hope for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. 

Cannon is documenting his thoughts with the help of his team during the race in a blog. His most recent post was Tuesday when he talked about his new pet name for Lake Michigan, “Mom.”

“The Lake, which Steve and the support team have begun calling Mom, doesn’t care how much sleep he got. She is there, to his right, a constant reminder of the massive challenge he has undertaken. Mom whispers to Steve, telling him, it is impossible, she is too much lake to be run around. It can’t be done.

Steve puts on his shoes and starts day two," the team documented in the blog.

He’s keeping fans updated on Facebook as well, with posts about everything from what he’s having for breakfast, like today’s double-decker salami and cheese sandwich, to his relationship with “Mom.” There’s a Twitter account following his every move as well at @RunCannonRun.

Patch hopes to catch up with Cannon on Wednesday as he makes his way through the Milwaukee suburbs and again as he heads through Port Washington. Stay tuned for our Q&A with Cannon.