The Route 66 Centennial Bunion Derby Run commemorates a 1928 footrace across America in which amateur runners traced the original unpaved roads of Route 66. You are invited to join me by foot or by bike, for one mile or many, on a 2,400+ mile journey from Chicago to L.A. between August 4 and November 11, 2026.

In 1928, fewer than two years after Route 66 was signed into being, 199 men from all over the world lined up in Los Angeles to race across the United States for a $25,000 cash prize - nearly half a million in 2026 dollars. The Bunion Derby, as it became known, traced the original Route 66 to Chicago, at which point the runners and their traveling circus beelined toward New York. Many of the racers were not professional athletes, let alone runners, yet nevertheless managed to average between 30 and 50 miles per day, every day, sometimes in apocalyptic conditions.

The Route 66 Centennial Bunion Derby Run is an opportunity to retrace the steps of the original Bunion Derby racers and honor their journey across prohibition-era America. Join me, for one mile or many, on a journey to from Chicago's Navy Pier to Santa Monica Pier. I will be hosting organized group runs from major cities along the route, but you are free to join at any location.