East Bay man on track to complete goal of running every street in every Tri-Valley city

If you have ever known the satisfaction of completing a page in a coloring book, you have something in common with Mike Beckwith.

"Yes, that's exactly the analogy I give people," Beckwith said.

Although, what you have done with pen and pencil, Beckwith is doing with his legs and his lungs. Beckwith is currently on a mission to run every inch of every street in the Tri-Valley. All along the way, he has been tracking his progress on a Google Earth map, coloring in each street and each city as he completes it.

"That's become my incentive on days when I don't want to go running," Beckwith said. "I think of the fun I could have when I come home and analyze my data, put it in my spreadsheet, update my map."

Beckwith's running journey began when he turned 40 years old. On the very day he gave up smoking, he took up running.

"I ran a mile and it hurt like the dickens," Beckwith said. "Got up the next morning and did it again."

Beckwith was soon hooked on running. He has completed dozens of half marathons, marathons, and ultra-marathons since he began. His goal of running every street in the Tri-Valley, however, began in 2014.

Beckwith was living in Dublin at the time and running along the Iron Horse Trail every day after work. He became bored with repeatedly running the same route and when he heard of a friend who had run every street in his city, Beckwith decided to do that in Dublin.

When he moved to Livermore a few years later, Beckwith felt the need to run that city as well.

"Right before I finished Livermore, I decided I might as well do the whole Tri-Valley," Beckwith said. He has since completed Pleasanton and San Ramon, with just Danville and Alamo to do.