Bothell resident Chris Griffes is living proof that a little motivation can, quite literally, go a long way.

At age 54, he has been running full marathons for nearly 10 years and created his own challenge of completing a marathon in each of the 50 U.S. states — and he’s nearly halfway there.

“I’m up to 19 now,” he said. “Number 20 is coming up in a month in Wisconsin, and I’m going to try to do 21 and 22 back east in North Carolina and Philadelphia.”

Griffes, an architect for KMD Architects based in Seattle, starting running in earnest about nine years ago, as a way to keep himself healthy as he entered middle age.

“It seemed to be a good way to get in shape,” he said. “I had run a bunch of 10Ks before without training, so I said, ‘it’s time to do something serious.’ My goal was to just finish (my first marathon) without an injury. I did another one, and just kept on going.”

ON THE WATERFRONT

Going 26.2 miles on foot isn’t easy at any age, but Griffes follows a strict training regimen of running four days a week to make sure his body is ready for the long haul.

“I run at lunch right along the waterfront here, and I do a long run on Saturday or Sunday,” said Griffes, whose downtown office is one block from Elliott Bay. “The lunch run is about five miles and the long run is eight or nine miles. Once I get a marathon in sight, I ramp up that long run to maybe 20 miles, three weeks before the race, and then I start tapering off.”

On the whole, Griffes has stayed remarkably healthy during his running career, something he attributes to a particular strategy he uses during races to prevent injury.

“I do this run-walk thing where I run one mile and then walk for one minute,” he explained. “That doesn’t really tend to injure somebody.”

Locally, Griffes enjoys running on the Sammamish River Trail, starting at the Park at Bothell Landing or in Woodinville, and heading into Redmond.

“I love that trail because it’s got markers every half-mile and drinking fountains every two miles,” he noted.

“You can kind of start wherever you want and get a little variety.”

NIFTY 50

At the Coeur D’Alene Marathon in Idaho several years ago, Griffes overheard a fellow runner comment on a “50-state club” for marathoners, which piqued his interest, having had several under his belt already.

He signed up, and has so far run in all four corners of the country, from California to Maine, and Alaska to Florida and many places in between.

While his ultimate goal is to run in all 50 states, Griffes isn’t in any rush to complete his task, instead taking time to enjoy the sights and scenery that come with every marathon he runs.

“I draw a metaphor with what I do as an architect — with an architecture project, it’s like a two- or three-year process,” he explained. “With running, you have to pace yourself. Even within the scope of a marathon, you have to do that, but as for running in 50 states, hopefully it will take me less than 15 years.”

Griffes’ travels while attempting his challenge have taken him to some amazing places, including a memorable marathon in Jacksonville, Fla., for the National Breast Cancer Marathon in honor of his wife, who was diagnosed in 2006.

But according to him, none were more beautiful than last year’s Mount Desert Island Marathon.

“It was on the coast of Maine, in Acadia National Park, right in the fall when the leaves were turning,” he recalled. “I was there with my wife, my cousin who runs marathons and my aunt and uncle who lived in the neighborhood. It was sort of a family reunion.”

Finally, when asked what advice he would give to athletes over the age of 40 who would like to start training for full marathons, Griffes, whose personal best time is 3 hours, 52 minutes, again preached that pacing and preparation are the keys to success.

“Mostly, it’s a function of focusing on getting it done, but being smart about the training,” he said. “I really believe this run-walk strategy really saves people, because they can pace themselves. I do run a mile, walk a minute, but others can do run a minute, walk a minute, and a group down in Florida did just that. They had little buzzers that went off every minute, saying ‘walk, run, walk, run.’”

Griffes has started a blog chronicling his journey to join the elite “50 State Marathon Club,” which can be read at http://crgriffes.wordpress.com.