North Forty News meets the Indiana ultrarunner in Poudre Canyon as he nears the end of his Rocky Mountain crossing, supported by a rotating crew and a message of love.
by Blaine Howerton | NorthFortyNews.com
After crossing the Continental Divide and spending days navigating the Rocky Mountains, endurance runner Cameron Balser is making his way through Northern Colorado’s foothills in pursuit of a transcontinental running record.
North Forty News caught up with Balser in Poudre Canyon as he approached Bellvue, where the rugged mountain landscape begins transitioning toward the Front Range. He was completing the final miles of his Rocky Mountain crossing, pursuing a dream he’d been working toward for nearly eight years.
Balser departed San Francisco City Hall on October 10 at 5 a.m. Pacific time, beginning a 3,067-mile journey to New York City Hall. His attempt, known as “Breaking 42,” aims to surpass the supported transcontinental running record of 42 days, 6 hours, and 30 minutes.
But when asked what keeps him running for 15 to 16 hours each day, his answer had little to do with records.
“Love. Love. Love,” Balser said.
A Dream Nearly Eight Years in the Making
Balser, an experienced ultrarunner from Indiana, said the idea of running across America has been with him for seven or eight years.
“This is, like, a dream of mine for, like, seven to eight years,” he told North Forty News.
Although he wanted to pursue the record earlier, he lacked the resources.
In 2023, he began an extraordinary self-supported journey around the United States, eventually covering 11,170 miles before finishing on July 29, 2024.
Unlike his current record attempt, Balser completed that adventure while pulling a cart containing his supplies.
The experience helped convince him that an even more ambitious goal was within reach.
His endurance background also includes completing 200 miles at the 2021 Potawatomi Trail Runs in 60 hours, 53 minutes, and finishing the 100-mile Beast of Burden Winter event in 17 hours, 26 minutes, and 58 seconds.
Now, with support from running footwear company Mount to Coast and a dedicated traveling crew, Balser is putting years of experience toward his fastest and most demanding cross-country effort yet.
Four Miles at a Time: The Team Behind the Runner
While Balser covers every mile on foot, a coordinated support operation moves with him across the country.
A crew travels along his route in a van, stopping approximately every four miles to meet him. At each stop, Balser has a brief opportunity to rest, rehydrate, and prepare for the next stretch.
After just a few minutes, he returns to the road.
The routine repeats throughout the day, allowing Balser to maintain his pace while managing the physical demands of running across mountains, plains, and communities.
The support team also rotates personnel throughout the journey.
During the North Forty News visit in Poudre Canyon, one crew member, an Indiana police officer, explained that he had been traveling with Balser for about a week.
He was preparing to hand off his responsibilities to another team member before flying home to Indiana.
The arrangement lets supporters contribute time while keeping the assistance Balser needs to continue his record attempt.
The effort is also being documented through video footage and support-crew experiences, with plans to share the larger story through a documentary.
For Balser, the people behind the scenes are as important as the miles ahead.
When he discussed what reaching New York City would mean, he became emotional as he reflected on his team and the growing number of people supporting his journey.
He said their commitment keeps him moving.
The Hardest Challenge Isn’t the Mountains
Crossing the Continental Divide represents a major geographic milestone, but Balser said the greatest challenges have been mental.
Spending 15 to 16 hours each day on his feet leaves little opportunity to escape his own thoughts.
The physical difficulties have included dry conditions, nasal irritation, digestive problems, and the constant demands of extended running.
But the emotional challenges can be even more difficult.
“I just want people to be proud of who I am and know that I’m giving everything I can,” Balser said.
He acknowledged that the pressure of the journey sometimes causes him to take small setbacks personally.
Over time, however, he has learned to accept that even carefully planned days rarely unfold exactly as expected.
“If we wrote the script, and it was perfect, it would be a boring life,” he said.
The experience has challenged him to become more patient with himself and more accepting of circumstances beyond his control.
Love Is What Keeps Him Running
When asked what motivates him to continue through exhaustion and uncertainty, Balser answered without hesitation.
“Love. Love. Love.”
He described the journey as an experience of unconditional love, shaped by the people, places, and unexpected encounters along the way.
Community support has been especially meaningful.
Balser said the encouragement he has received reinforces the message he hopes to share through his run: people already possess value and greatness, regardless of what they accomplish.
“You are who you are. You don’t have to do anything, be anything. You are greatness,” he said.
For Balser, the record is an ambitious goal, but it is not the ultimate measure of success.
He hopes his journey encourages others to recognize their own potential and pursue what matters most to them.
A Message From Poudre Canyon
As Balser moved toward Bellvue and the end of his Rocky Mountain crossing, he shared a message for people following his journey across Northern Colorado and beyond.
“Follow your heart, follow your intuition,” he said. “Trust yourself. Do it for you, and when it’s truly for you, it’s for everybody.”
He believes meaningful change starts with individuals trusting themselves, not waiting for perfect circumstances.
“Just follow your heart. Follow it, just don’t think about it, just do it,” he said.
Balser welcomes encouragement from people along his route, whether they cheer from the roadside or join him for a portion of the run.
Northern Colorado residents and others who want to follow his progress can use his live tracking page to see his location. His planned cross-country route is also available online.
The Breaking 42 website also highlights a fundraising effort benefiting the Grant County Family YMCA in Indiana, extending the impact of his journey beyond the running record.
A Finish Line Bigger Than a Record
Balser still has a long road ahead before reaching New York City Hall.
The planned route covers 3,067 miles, averaging about 75 miles per day. Weather, terrain, and other conditions can affect the schedule.
When asked what arriving at the finish line would mean to him, Balser struggled to contain his emotions.
He spoke about the people supporting him, his team’s commitment, and the growing connections formed along the route.
For someone spending much of each day running alone with his thoughts, those relationships have become central to the experience.
He hopes completing the journey will reach a wider audience for his message of love, self-belief, and human connection.
Before returning to the road through Northern Colorado, Balser offered a final expression of gratitude.
“I love everybody,” he said. “Thank you. Thank you. Whoever’s out there for supporting me and being there for me.”
With the Continental Divide behind him and the Rocky Mountains giving way to the foothills, Balser continues east, supported by a team willing to travel thousands of miles and a growing community following his progress.
The record may be measured in days, hours, and miles.
But for Balser, the journey is about something a stopwatch can’t measure.
Love.
A note from Publisher Blaine Howerton
I met Cameron in Poudre Canyon as he was making his way toward Bellvue, and what struck me wasn’t just the extraordinary distance he’s running. It was the people behind him, including a police officer from Indiana who had spent a week helping him along the route. Cameron’s journey reminds us that even the most remarkable individual achievements often depend on others’ kindness. These are the stories I believe deserve to be told. If you’d like to help keep independent local journalism strong, become a North Forty News member.
Reporting: North Forty News interviews Cameron Balser and a member of his support crew in Poudre Canyon on October 27, 2026. Additional background information from Balser’s official website, camerondeanbalser.com, and his media representative.