An Arizona man is seeing the sites in Nebraska this summer, and he does not even need his car to do it. Brian Stark is seeing Nebraska this summer. One stride at a time.

"My life goal is to cross all 50 states on foot and Nebraska this summer is my 28th," said Stark.

Brian's outdoor adventures actually started when he graduated from college and hiked the entire 2,000–mile Appalachian Trail. Then in 1998, he decided to run across the country, 5,000 miles from Delaware to California. His latest goal is to run through the states he hasn't seen yet.

"That is my wife's goal. She said, 'Honey, you have already crossed half the country. Why don't you just finish it off?'" said Stark.

And that is exactly what he is doing. He knows from experience the accommodations may not always be five–star.

"Past trips, I have slept in barns with permission. Even slept in an outhouse one night in Virginia. Churches sometimes put me up and people take me in on occasion," said Stark.

He will spend three weeks traveling across Nebraska. He does not take the shortest route, but the most scenic one, which doubles his miles, but also doubles his enjoyment.

"You do get a very different perspective. I have been talking to cows out here. I have been waving to truckers. I have been looking at the corn," said Stark. "I saw my first wheat field and there was no one around and I said, 'Hey look. Wheat!' I was so excited. It does not take much."

Brian, a 38–year–old Arizona middle school teacher, runs 20–30 miles a day on average during his journey. He enters marathons and ultra races back home to stay in shape for his summer runs. Still, there are days when he has to talk his body through the next mile.

"My legs were saying, 'We have never done this before.' And I said, 'No, yes you have. You will remember. Come on. Hang with me.' And they picked up speed pretty quickly," said Stark. "So, I have little conversations like that."

Brian said one of the best things about this cross–country running adventure is not necessarily all the miles he logs every day, but it is the people he meets along the way.

"Just meeting more people and hearing more of their stories about life in Nebraska. It has been fantastic," said Stark. "I know there has been flooding and people are trying to dry out out here, but it is evident to a person who is an outsider coming in, people can and do persevere, and that is great."

Brian said he has also been impressed with the friendliness of those he is met in Nebraska.

"Today, running on a road with almost no shoulder, but every semi–truck and car going by is giving me a wide berth and a big wave. It is fantastic," Stark said.

Brian has encountered horses, wild turkeys, cows, and dogs. He has sprinted through showers and sweated his way through sweltering heat and humidity. It is not the way most people would choose to spend their summers.

"I am just always intrigued by what is ahead. And I think if you just stay put you never know the answer to that and I do not want to end up saying, 'I wish I had,' said Stark.

Brian hopes to finish his three–week run by the 4th of July in Julesburg, Colorado. If he reaches that goal, he will still have 6 days before his flight home from Denver. How will he cover the final 200 miles to the airport? He will run, of course. And he will not stop running until he crosses all fifty states.

"I think I will get there if my knees can hold up and my family tolerates it. I have got "just" 22 more," said Stark.

Brian Stark makes a run "through" the country sound like nothing more than a run in the country.

Brian also has a friendly competition with another teacher he works with. He is trying to play as many holes of golf this summer as the number of miles Brian runs. That means he will need to get in about 700 holes. Brian thinks that is a bet he will win.

Brian is sharing his running adventure across Nebraska daily by posting pictures on Facebook and blogging about his experiences. Visit the links below for more information:

http://www.statesrunner.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/manage/?act=70311421#%21/pages/The-States-Runner/111580952187278