I&M Canal State Trail—Supported FKT
October 17, 2026 | Rockdale to LaSalle, Illinois
On October 17, I set out to run the entire 61.5-mile I&M Canal State Trail from Rockdale to LaSalle, Illinois.
I’ve spent a lot of time running every section of the I&M Canal over the years, and completing the entire State Trail in one continuous effort is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I’ve always appreciated the history of the canal and the opportunity to run a trail that connects so many communities across northern Illinois.
We got started right at 6:00 a.m. in Rockdale. Alex Harrison ran with me from the start to the I&M Canal State Trail access lot near Cemetery Road and Armstrong Street in Morris, where Jacob Wantland jumped in. Jacob ran with me to the Seneca pavilion, and from there Nathan McTague hopped on his bike and accompanied me the rest of the way to LaSalle.
Shane McTague joined us near the Heritage Harbor I&M Canal State Trail access near Ottawa and ran with me through the finish.
My fiancée, Kaitlin, served as crew chief and managed all the logistics throughout the day. From coordinating aid stations and crew movements to keeping everything organized along the route, she played a huge role in making the entire effort possible.
We had five primary aid stations along the route at McKinley Woods, Gebhard Woods, Seneca, the new I&M access parking lot before crossing the Fox River, and North Utica. Having everything organized helped keep things moving efficiently between stops and made sure I had what I needed for fueling, hydration, and gear.
The route itself is relatively flat, but there’s a lot of variety along the way. Between the wooded stretches, open towpath, small river towns, and long sections running alongside the canal, it’s a pretty unique way to experience this part of Illinois.
The goal throughout the day was to keep moving efficiently, stay on top of fueling, and make it all the way across the officially designated State Trail. There were definitely challenging stretches, particularly later in the run, but that’s part of taking on a distance like this.
I reached the western endpoint in LaSalle where the trail ends on a paved platform at approximately 4:15 p.m., marking the finish on my Garmin with an elapsed time of 10:14:58.
For verification, my Garmin recorded 61.865 miles when I manually marked the endpoint (Lap 62). I continued recording briefly afterward, so the complete activity shows 62.201 miles and 10:18:25 elapsed. The 10:14:58 time corresponds to the State Trail endpoint in LaSalle.
I’m incredibly grateful to Kaitlin for taking on the crew chief role and keeping everything running smoothly throughout the day. A huge thanks as well to Alex, Jacob, Nathan, and Shane for accompanying me along the route. Shout out to my parents, Brian and Cori, along with Jake, Tyler, and Kendra, for coming out and supporting the effort.
It’s pretty cool to finally complete something I’ve been thinking about for years. I hope more people get out and experience the full I&M Canal State Trail and take on the challenge themselves.