50 States In 5 Days: How 4 Men Beat A Record And Bonded Forever

JAMESPORT, NY —Jim Froehlich, 59, of Jamesport recently set off on a journey to beat the record for being the fastest to traverse all 50 states, plus DC, but what ensued transcended a race against the clock — it was a journey rich with memories and forged bonds.

According to Thomas Cannon, whose idea sparked the odyssey, he and Justin Morris — along with Cannon's father-in-law Bill McSteen, 62, and Froehlich, McSteen's longtime friend from Jamesport — were intent on breaking the world record. And they did, coming in at 5 days, 16 hours and 20 minutes after a fierce and challenging trek across the nation.

The trip began on April 20 at 8:33 p.m. Hawaiian time, when Cannon, 30, and Morris, who live in the Charleston, South Carolina area, officially set the timer as their flight took off from Honolulu. Next, they arrived in Anchorage, Alaska, and then flew to Seattle, where they met Froelich and McSteen, who were waiting with a van outfitted for the 7,000 mile, 4.5 day drive through the remaining 48 states.

The four kicked off their 24-hour driving shifts on April 21, at 7:15 p.m. Pacific time.

Funding for the record attempt was provided by Cannon's employer, eSite Analytics, he said. In
addition to funding, eSite provided the resources necessary for Cannon to write
an algorithm that calculated the optimal route through the lower 48 states, beginning in
Seattle, Washington and ending in White River Junction, Vermont, he said.

While they had to occasionally improvise on the route, it was generally followed and allowed them to break the previous record — set by a team from Joplin, Missouri of 6 days, 17 hours — by more than 24 hours, Cannon said. The record was set with the "Fast to Fifty" group.

McSteen had to stop in Minneapolis on the third day when he was called to work. But the remaining trio persevered and, after driving 7,007 miles, crossed the finish line in Vermont on April 26 at 6:53 p.m. Eastern time, setting the record.

The trip, Froehlich said, was a "once-in-a-lifetime" experience. "It was pretty cool," he said.

The idea for the trip was born in late 2020 when Cannon said he took a solo trip through all 48 states in 8 days and then made a YouTube video about it on the channel NerdStoke.

His employer, eSite Analytics saw the video and wanted to sponsor another attempt at all 50. "At eSite, we work with clients all over the country to help them open new locations, and we use all sorts of demographic and traffic data to do so. This trip was right up their alley!" he said.

Froehlich said Cannon reached out to him and McSteen, his lifetime North Fork friend who now lives in North Carolina, because years ago the pair did endurance racing.

Jokingly calling himself and McSteen "the old guys," Froelich said the trip spanned not just miles but generations.

The trip was not without pitfalls: The engine of the van they were initially planning to use failed so they rented a minivan and continued forward.

Across miles and miles of open land, the four captured their experience through photos and video; Froehlich said despite the fact that they were moving quickly, the algorithm allowed for their trip to take place along beautiful country roads and not just interstates.

The four "had a mattress wedged in the back" and took turns sleeping; they ate "easy" food, including fried chicken, smoothies, granola bars and drank water, tea, and Gatorade, Froehlich said.

One stop that made a lasting impression on Froehlich was the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, as well as Mt. Ranier in Seattle and a sea of sunsets and fog-shrouded vistas along the southern bayou. Temperatures changed dramatically from Death Valley into the colder areas, he said.

Along the way, both generations learned from one another, Froehlich said. "What's been published out there about millennials getting along with our generation, that's absolutely true," he said.

He added: "These kids have no fear." But what they don't have yet is the years of life experience he and McSteen share, he said. "Along the way, you become a mentor," he said. Froehlich, a retired "factory" rat, an "integration guy," who traveled the world and worked in the auto industry and in other areas of manufacturing, had years of life lessons to share.

"I always tell them that I think our generation lived to work — and their generation works to live," he said. "I tell these kids, 'Do what you say you're going to do' and 'Don't always look for the glamour job.' In my career, I always went after the job that nobody else wanted to do. That's how I differentiated myself."

On the flipside, Froehlich said he learned from the younger generation. "The way they can very quickly find solutions on the fly, using technology that we don't use, it's amazing to me," he said.

Froehlich said he seizes the proverbial day and when he heard about the trip, he "didn't have to think twice."

Peggy Steib, Froehlich's sister, said she was proud of her brother. "The whole thing is pretty amazing. My brother takes on any challenge you give him. He's incredibly giving, and a very special person. We're just very grateful he’s back and made it around the United States safely. We were sitting on the edge of our seats, waiting every day for updates. It was so fun to follow along."

Despite the joys, there were some anxiety-ridden moments, Cannon said.

Cannon said when the first van broke down, there were challenges: The mechanical mishap led to a "dramatic loss in funds that was luckily made up for when the group was able to sell the broken-down vehicle to a Seattle garage just minutes before the drive began."

Several team members had to cancel the trip last minute even after travel arrangements had been made, Cannon added. "The trip was pretty intense," he said. The stress was arduous and at times, threatened to put an end to the journey, he added.

But they prevailed and triumphed and, in the next month, will be publishing their own accounts of the journey on the YouTube channel NerdStoke, and the website follyhood.com.

There were joys mixed with daunting mountains to scale, Cannon said.

"The best part was the changing scenery. It is so cool to see the country like that," he said. "The toughest part was securing a vehicle. . . I had originally bought a huge Mercedes sprinter van and spent weeks outfitting it with beds and a bathroom only for it to break down hours away from the starting line."

Cannon said he, in turn, learned from Froehlich. "Jim had a lot of wisdom to share about how to approach opportunity. I think I had asked him why he came on this trip to begin with, and he had a lot to say about how he prioritizes people, working hard, and seizing chances to work on new things."

Winning the record, Cannon said, still hasn't really set in yet. "In the moment I was so focused on the goal, so even at the finish line I was still making sure we tagged all of our bases. Even now, I am proud of what we did, but I know it can be done a lot faster — I'd imagine under five days is reasonable."

When asked about stand-out moments, Cannon said: "There are a lot of moments that stick out, but none of them felt once-in-a-lifetime. Not because what we did wasn't exceptional, but because I think adventure like this is way more accessible than people think. I would encourage anyone who wants to travel the country, break a world record, or do anything extraordinary to just go do it. If you want to do something like this, work to make it happen. 'Seize the opportunity,' like Jim said. Even if you don't have a sponsor or backing for your adventure, you can still save your money, make yourself a little uncomfortable — sleeping in your car and skipping showers — and bootstrapping it, like I did on the first trip."

He added: "The hurdles usually aren't as tall as people think, so go figure out how to get over them."

Morris, a photographer who shot scores of images along the way, said when Cannon reached out to him, he couldn't pass up the adventure.

The greatest joys were definitely the downtime before the official trip started when he got to spend a day in Seattle, four days in Hawaii, and a half-day in Alaska, Morris said. "The challenges really were sitting in a minivan for about five days straight. You are excited to see new places and kind of running on adrenaline but it takes its toll on you."

The older duo taught Morris "how to have a solid work ethic and keep pushing for what you want. Nothing is ever given to anyone. I hope that I taught them that there are lots of different ways to be happy and have a successful life. This means you dont have to go to college and then straight to an office and work your way up the corporate ladder. There are plenty of alternative ways to be succesful nowadays and also have a nice quality of life that allows you to have some freedom."

As for McSteen, he thanked his son-in-law for organizing the trip and said his greatest joy was that all finished safely. The main challenge, he said, was getting enough rest between driving stints.

But he wouldn't trade a minute, McSteen said, including seeing breathtaking parts of the country. "Participating in the challenge with my childhood friend, son-in-law, and his friend is truly priceless." And, for anyone contemplating a life-altering journey of their own: "Go for it! Life is too short to sit on the couch."