Pandemic project: Peter Breach runs across the state
Before the pandemic, avid runners Peter and Michelle Breach had planned a run across the U.S. While that run has been postponed till later this year, the Breaches took advantage of Peter’s early retirement to log a practice run across Washington state.
“I’ve been an IT professional for many years and I got offered a buyout during COVID,” he said. “So in 2020, at 55, I retired.”
Michelle knew that after working 60-hour weeks for so long, her husband needed some kind of transition into retirement.
“He needed a project – a goal to accomplish,” she said.
A run across the state with Michelle crewing and the company of their standard poodle proved the perfect jumping-off point for Peter, the founder of the Flying Irish Running Club.
“We both like challenges,” Peter said. “When the speed went away, we had to add distance.”
In May 2020, they started at Stateline and finished a couple of weeks later in Anacortes, Washington.
“I logged 15 days, 367 miles, and roughly 24 miles a day, not counting rest days,” he said. “Probably 10-15% of the route was nonhighway dirt roads, trails and side roads. This offered not only relief but more interaction with people.”
For the most part, people were kind. Truckers routinely smiled and waved. Other drivers, however, proved more erratic.
“I was feeling pretty good on the North Cascade Highway, till I got to two tunnels,” Peter said. “I almost got pegged by a motorcycle and a car.”
His interaction with law enforcement was positive.
“Right before The Speed Trap Tap House in Reardan, an officer told me he clocked me ‘at about 5 miles per hour.’ I told him that’s faster than 20 miles ago!”
While Peter did the running, Michelle did legwork of her own. The couple car-camped, so she often drove ahead to scout out rest spots and camping sites. She stayed near enough to offer food, water and encouragement.
“Well, I did lose him once or twice,” she said.
“That day I went 39 miles instead of 24,” Peter said.
A lot of the enjoyment of their adventure came from discovering new things.
“Billy Burgers in Wilbur was awesome,” Peter said. “The Larry Burger with fries is a true feast!”
They appreciated those who offered help along the way.
“Special shoutout to the Gulf gas station owner in Sedro-Woolley,” Peter said. “That’s where we ended a run one day and changed clothes and then he let us use the bathroom at 7 a.m. the next day.”
His retirement party on June 5, found him at Steamboat Rock State Park near Grand Coulee Dam.
“It was a Zoom call while I sipped a beer and chugged a 32-ounce Gatorade after a hot and rough 25-mile day.”
They had good weather for the most part, though it did rain four out of their 15 days on the road.
“Rain is nice to run in but bad for the crew setting up camp,” Peter said.
While they delighted in most of the wildlife they spotted (including a bear) one of the most unpleasant stretches involved a dead skunk.
“I was running uphill on a steepish grade, with minimal shoulder, in a moderately heavy rain, soaking wet, and having to hold my breath due to a recently deceased skunk.”
They especially appreciated the scenic beauty of the North Cascades Highway and enjoyed their time in Anacortes at the end of the run.
Peter knows he couldn’t run across Washington without his wife’s help.
“Michelle was a saint,” he said. “She was so supportive that I can’t thank her enough. A Billy Burger seemed way too cheap for her support, so I mowed the lawn when we got home.”
He’ll get his turn to crew when they run across the country later this year. They plan to take 5½ months to do it.
“I’ll be running from west to east and he’ll crew me,” Michelle said. “Then he’ll run east to west while I crew.”
The couple wants to use their run as a fundraiser. While Peter is still deciding on a nonprofit, Michelle has already chosen hers – HOPE animal-assisted crisis response.
“The state run was a dry run to see if she’d stay married to me when we run across the U.S.,” he said. “We bonded better as a result of the run. Success!”