June 23, 2026
Provided Image/Bud Wilson
Bud Wilson, 58, of Philadelphia, ran across Pennsylvania in record time between June 14 and June 19. Above, Wilson stands on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge at the end of the 361-mile journey.
Ultramarathon runner Bud Wilson set an ambitious goal of running across the length of Pennsylvania in six days. When he finished his 361-mile journey on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge last Friday, he had about about half a day to spare and laid claim to a new record for the route.
Wilson, 58, of Philadelphia, has been incrementally pushing his limits as an extreme endurance runner over the past several years. His run from Colliers, West Virginia, to Philadelphia started June 14 and ended June 19. The official time to complete run was 5 days, 13 hours and 57 minutes. The previous record, held by Cain Leathers, was 9 days, 23 hours and 30 minutes.
"It's hard," Wilson reflected on the feat. "You go through different highs and lows, although I'm a pretty positive person. And so I never really get down. I never really feel like I want to quit or anything. I set the odometer, and I know that I'm not stopping until I get there."
Most days, Wilson ran for about 16 hours and only took brief breaks to nap and eat. He was trailed by a van with a crew chief to keep him stocked on supplies and give him a place to crash when necessary.
Several friends joined Wilson for stretches of his trek. One drove out to the Altoona area from New Jersey and ran alongside Wilson for 30 miles. Other companions were acquaintances and friendly locals who formed a "Forrest Gump"-style support network.
"The highlights were the people," Wilson said. "There were a number of people who were complete strangers to me that came out and ran with me for a few miles."
By the time Wilson reached the Coatesville area in Chester County late last week, he was greeted on motorcycle by a buddy of his who works as a police officer in Radnor Township.
"It's a huge emotional boost, knowing that those people care about you and what you're trying to accomplish, and are willing to give up their time, which is so valuable to help me in my efforts," Wilson said.
Wilson still needs to officially record his time with Fastest Known Time, a platform ultramarathon runners use to track benchmarks on various routes. That usually happens over a matter of days of submitting documentation. Wilson already holds the FKT record for a 196-mile run he made from the southern tip of New Jersey to the northern end of the state in 2 days and 9 hours in September.
The terrain on the Pennsylvania route — most of which followed U.S. Route 30 — proved much more challenging at times. Wilson said his most difficult day was last Monday, the second day of the trip, after he got out of the Pittsburgh area.
"I climbed 7,500 feet of elevation in one day, which is typically the equivalent of what I would do in a single week," Wilson said.
Bud Wilson stopped at Michaux State Forest during his run across Pennsylvania. The forest spans more than 85,000 acres in south-central Pennsylvania, covering parts of Adams, Cumberland and Franklin counties.
There were also a few unnerving moments. At night, Wilson ran along roadsides facing traffic to look out for distracted drivers. A man in a pickup truck in central Pennsylvania appeared to be veering toward Wilson one night.
"I jumped off the side of the road, tripped in a ditch, rolled in a cornfield," Wilson said. "The guy was actually nice enough to come back and apologize to me, and he worked for a tire company, and he said if I needed anything, his shop was up the road. I thought that was pretty cool that he took the time to apologize to me. He never really crossed the line or anything like that. He just got close enough to me where I wasn't taking the chance or giving him the opportunity to hit me."
Wilson ran along roads, bike paths, technical trails, a portion of the Appalachian Trail and miles of farmland. He said the scenery reminded him of a 100-mile ultramarathon he ran in Vermont and the countryside was reminiscent of his upbringing in Michigan.
Utramarathon runner Bud Wilson takes a selfie during his 361-mile journey across Pennsylvania.
More than anything, Wilson said running long distances is a way to examine his life. He rarely listens to music during an ultramarathon.
"There's long stretches where you're just kind of by yourself and you zone out," Wilson said. "I enjoy those moments. It gives me opportunity to think about things in my life, to bring clarity to them, to think about, you know, how I can be a better person, what I want to do in my life next."
Wilson set out with a goal to donate a portion of his fundraising proceeds to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which he did after his New Jersey run in the fall. He's raised enough to give about $1,250 to the hospital, but supporters can still make donations to Wilson's GoFundMe.
Part of Wilson's motivation for the Pennsylvania run was to see how he would fare running an average of 60 to 70 miles per day. The fastest run across the United States — a 3,067-mile coast-to-coast journey from San Francisco to New York City — was completed in 2016 by Pete Kostelnick, who was 29 at the time. Kostelnick finished the ultramarathon in 42 days, 6 hours and 30 minutes. He averaged 72 miles per day.
"That's been a little on my mind, so I figured, let me go out and see if I can run for six days, averaging 65 to 75 miles per day," Wilson said. "I essentially achieved that by averaging right around 65 miles per day."
Wilson hasn't chosen his next running endeavor yet, and he's been catching up on sleep since he finished running across Pennsylvania. The experience has only strengthened his love for pushing his physical abilities to new levels.
"I think that that's in the beauty of what we do as ultra runners, that it helps us grow as people," Wilson said.
