Seth Wilmoth’s running project isn’t just punishing — it also sounds like a darn good time. Last month, the athlete tackled a marathon of marathons while traversing 340 miles, passing through all 13 of California’s varied geographical “ecoregions,” and raising over $10,000 to support public lands.
Called “Project Gold Rush,” Wilmoth’s mission was both a grueling endurance challenge and a fundraiser for state parks — as well as a bit of a publicity stunt for Skechers. He used two models of the brand’s long-distance running shoes to complete the challenge (so no, he didn’t tackle the marathons in sneakers).
Running 13 marathons in 13 days without a single rest day is no small feat, but Wilmoth seemed to breeze through nearly 2 weeks of long-distance running, wrapping up the project on May 2 with an event in Los Angeles.
In an interview with GearJunkie, Wilmoth said his biggest takeaway from the project was seeing other people challenge themselves to run alongside him. In some cases, they pushed themselves to run long distances for the first time.
Also, by marathon number nine, Wilmoth set a new personal best. (I guess the first eight marathons were just a warm-up.) He answered our questions about why this project was important to him, the significance of running across his home state, and how he used Skechers gear to get to the finish line each day.
Seth Wilmoth Q&A: Linking Marathons, Ecoregions, and Communities
GearJunkie: Can you tell us about the inception of this idea to run 13 marathons in 13 days? How did this come about?
Seth Wilmoth: This project really came from a combination of my background in biology and ecology, my love for endurance sports, and my interest in building meaningful projects around storytelling and exploration.
I studied biology in college and became especially fascinated with ecology and environmental systems. During that time, I learned about the EPA’s Level III ecoregions, which are essentially classifications of distinct ecological environments. California has 13 of them, making it one of the most ecologically diverse places in the world. I remember thinking how incredible it would be to create some kind of project built around those 13 regions.
At the time, I had no idea what that would eventually look like. I definitely didn’t think I’d someday be running 13 marathons in 13 days. Then, over the last couple of years, I really fell in love with endurance sports and endurance storytelling. I realized I wanted to create a project that combined challenge, exploration, community, and purpose. As I got deeper into ultra running, this idea resurfaced and suddenly made sense.
The structure became clear: 13 marathons across California’s 13 ecoregions. It was a way to showcase the incredible diversity of California, highlight public lands and natural environments, push myself physically and mentally, and hopefully inspire people to get outside and challenge themselves too.
From there, tying it into a fundraiser for the California State Parks Foundation felt like the perfect mission to rally around.
Why raise money for California State Parks, specifically? Also, is there a specific park that you particularly love?
Even though every run didn’t take place entirely within California State Parks, public lands and state parks were really the spirit behind the entire project.
I think California State Parks do such an incredible job of protecting natural spaces while also making them accessible to people. They give people opportunities to experience the outdoors, connect with nature, learn about ecology, and appreciate environments they otherwise may never see. That accessibility is really important to me.
One of the goals of this project was to demonstrate just how many radically different environments California has to offer. In the span of 2 weeks, we went from redwood forests to volcanic landscapes to farmland to alpine mountains to desert terrain. There are very few places in the world where you can experience that level of diversity.
As someone who has worked in the nonprofit sector for the past 5 years, I also wanted the fundraising component to create meaningful impact. California State Parks Foundation felt like the perfect organization because they support conservation, preservation, education, and accessibility efforts across the entire state.
As for a favorite park, it’s hard to choose because each place carried such a different feeling and experience. But Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park was incredibly special. Running through those massive old-growth redwoods on day one almost felt surreal.
What was your favorite moment from this challenge?
One was day six in Coloma, California, near my hometown and where gold was originally discovered, which is part of the reason the project was called “Gold Rush.” That day, we hosted a large community run with around 25 runners. What made it so special was seeing people of all experience levels come out and challenge themselves together. Some people ran their first 10K that day. Others completed their first half-marathon or marathon.
Running along the American River surrounded by that many people, in a place that meant so much to me personally, was incredibly emotional. It became bigger than just my own challenge. It felt like a true community experience.
Another moment that stands out was marathon number nine in Fresno. That run was mostly solo and surrounded by farmland, which connected deeply to the nonprofit work I’ve done in agriculture and education over the years. Somehow, on the ninth marathon in a row, I ended up running my marathon PR. That completely shocked me.
What was it like running these marathons in Skechers? What were the shoes you were using? Were you surprised by anything?
Having Skechers outfit me in their running shoes and performance apparel made all the difference. I started in the Aero Razor, a lighter, faster shoe perfect for the early races, before switching to the Aero Burst for the remainder of the challenge after realizing I needed more support and cushioning.
I absolutely love how they performed and supported me through every run. Even while rotating through fresh colorways, every pair felt comfortable right out of the box.
Was there any other piece of gear that helped you during this challenge? What was it and why did it help?
The Skechers Performance apparel was a huge help throughout the challenge. Chafing was virtually a non-issue despite the high mileage, which made a big difference. The GO RUN shorts were also a personal favorite: simple, reliable, and comfortable.
I also relied heavily on the GO DRI Circuit Tank in most conditions.
Staying fueled is one of the hardest parts of endurance challenges. What was your approach? Any favorite snacks or meals?
Fueling was definitely one of the most calculated parts of the challenge. During the marathons themselves, I was aiming for roughly 80- to 100-plus grams of carbohydrates per hour along with a very structured hydration and electrolyte strategy, especially as temperatures increased later in the project. I relied heavily on Maurten gels along with Honey Stingers, maple syrup, and GUs, depending on the day and conditions.
Outside of the runs, honestly, my nutrition philosophy stayed pretty simple. I focused on consistently eating enough and replenishing glycogen stores as quickly as possible. A lot of my meals centered around staple foods: chicken, steak, fish, rice, sweet potatoes, fruit, vegetables, oatmeal, and bread.
One of my guilty pleasures throughout the trip became peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and tortillas. Those ended up being absolute lifesavers. And honestly, part of surviving something like this is also allowing yourself small moments of enjoyment and celebration. I had a beer after day six with the community run and some champagne at the finish.
You’re a bit short of the funding goal you set. Do you have any other plans for raising money for California state parks?
Even though we didn’t quite hit the full fundraising goal, I’m still incredibly proud that we were able to raise over $10,000. I absolutely plan to continue supporting the California State Parks Foundation moving forward and hope to continue doing future fundraising efforts tied to endurance projects.
So I definitely see this as the beginning of a longer-term relationship and mission rather than a one-time fundraiser.
Anything else you’d like to add? Any big takeaways you’d like to offer for our readers?
People are far more capable than they realize. That applies physically, mentally, creatively, and emotionally. A challenge like this sounds impossible at first. Honestly, if you told me a few years ago that I’d run 13 marathons in 13 days across California, I probably would have laughed. I was never a lifelong distance runner.
One thing that also surprised me was that the hardest part of the challenge actually wasn’t the physical side. The physical aspect was obviously demanding, but the logistics and mental load were often even more challenging.
We were moving locations constantly, coordinating community runs, creating content, managing schedules, driving long hours, and trying to stay mentally sharp while sharing the experience publicly in real time. That side of the challenge gave me a huge appreciation for the team around me because projects like this are never accomplished alone.
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