Massachusetts teacher runs Kalalau Trail in 50 state challenge to raise funds for Alzheimer’s cure

Since July 18, Glenn Caffery has been running an ultramarathon almost every other day in states around the country to fundraise for research to cure Alzheimer’s.

After finishing a run in the Grand Canyon in Arizona last week, the 63-year-old teacher from Massachusetts had run more than 1,535 miles through his “AlzRun” challenge. He started in Maine and after Arizona had only two states remaining: Hawai’i and Alaska.

For the Aloha State, he chose a 28.7-mile route on the famous Kalalau Trail, which is along the Na Pali Coast on Kauaʻi.

Caffery, who has been largely living and sleeping out of his Toyota Prius to complete trail runs between 28 and 48 miles in each state, left his car in Arizona for a flight to the Garden Isle.

While at first telling himself that a trip to Kauaʻi might be “too extravagant,” Caffery realized he didn’t want to miss out on a chance to run the “really special” Kalalau Trail.

“That particular route pops up all the time,” he said. “It’s so beautiful, so famous, and so it was really through finding that route that I learned about the island of Kaua’i.”

On Monday at about 7:30 a.m., Caffery started the planned run, with an elevation gain of more than 8,047 feet. It was also raining, which made him particularly careful of the dangers of the narrow trail along steep cliffs.

“I didn’t feel at all that I was doing anything particularly daring,” he said. “But at the same time, it required total focus, one step at a time, which I appreciate.”

He said it requires being 100% focused on each step: “You don’t want to stumble. You want to be mindful. You don’t want to rush.”

But he also realized Kalalau was a place like nothing he had ever seen before, with its lush scenery, otherworldly beauty, and fruits falling out of the trees that make it truly magical.

“It’s one of the most beautiful places on the planet,” he said. “The scenery is stunning … There were so many rainbows I didn’t have time to take pictures of all of them.”

Caffery spent about 11 hours completing the trek at shortly before 6 p.m.

He said he appreciated every moment of the near-final run in his challenge.

Caffery’s motivation has been to raise money for the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, a disease that is personal to him because his father, Dick, was diagnosed with the disease at age 54 and died in the 1990s.

“It was such a tragedy,” Caffery said.

Years later, his aunt and uncle also died from Alzheimer’s.

“It doesn’t seem to get enough attention, and I don’t know why,” Caffery said.

He speculated it may have to do with people holding onto the belief that Alzheimer’s is normal.

Although Caffery is also planning on going to Alaska to complete a run in every state, he will not make that trip until June 2025.

“It’s the end of a really big journey for me,” Caffery said. “And to do that in Hawai’i, Kaua’i, I just really wanted to savor it.”

Caffery, who has been running for decades, says he found the challenge physically sustainable.   

“I kind of felt before I started I thought something might go wrong … But I feel the opposite of it,” he said. “My body feels as good as it’s felt since I was in my 20s.”

The part that wore him out the most was the constant driving and sleeping in his car.

He said “there’s nothing special” about him being able to run long distances. He advises anyone hoping to get more active to try to find joy in exercise and not push themselves too hard.

“A lot of people think they should be running faster,” he said. “I just let my body decide. I think that’s what makes it sustainable.”

As of Nov. 2, Caffery’s “AlzRun” has raised more than $12,300 for the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund. He has a goal of $50,000.

“Every single penny” goes 100% to Alzheimer’s research, he said.

“It’s very satisfying to raise money for an organization that I feel like is making a difference for something that makes a lot of people feel really hopeless”

More information about Caffery’s AlzRun and donating to the fundraiser is available on his Instagram page and website.