Saturday Read: Mike Beckwith Finishing Quest to Run Every Street in Dublin

Have you noticed Mike Beckwith out running? Chances are, he’s already run down your street at least once this year. In fact, when this weekend is over he’ll have run the length of every single street in the town of Dublin--all 212 miles.

Why?

“I thought running Dublin would be a great way for me to see the entire city and meet lots of my Dublin neighbors,” Beckwith told Patch.

He took his inspiration from twin brother Matt, who biked every street where he lives in Stockton.

Mike moved here from the Central Valley a few years ago and, no surprise, absolutely loves Dublin.

“I love the parks and the trails. On all of my runs, I always tried to engage with new people. I found that everyone was always so nice and had time to chat. I also learned that there are some good hills for running. My total elevation gain while running the entire city will be just over 10,000 feet.”

He began his quest last December. And how does it feel to accomplish what he set out to do? “It feels very rewarding to be finishing this goal of running every street. I will say that it is a little bittersweet though. I had so much fun doing it, that I am a little sad that it is coming to an end.”

Beckwith has inspired residents all over Dublin, even Mayor David Haubert who’s cheering him on while visiting China, “As an avid runner myself I really like the idea of running every street. I think it is just great.”

If you’d like to cheer on Beckwith this Sunday, check the route on his Facebook page, Mike Runs Dublin.

Looking back on all the miles and hills, Beckwith pinpoints his favorite memory, “Early on in my quest to run every street in Dublin, I was on the west end of the city and I was running up a very steep hill. As I was struggling to get up this hill a deer popped out of a bush and ran up the hill super fast. I just stopped and laughed, and said ‘show off.’”