✅ Cities Completed
🗺️ Utah Counties Map
📅 How to Hit 10 Cities a Month — The Draper Cluster Strategy
Cluster nearby cities in a single trip. Saturdays allow two 5Ks with a short drive between. Four weeks × 2-3 cities = 10+ per month.
📍 Week 1 · South Valley Cluster
Run #1: South Jordan (trails near 10600 S)
Drive to Riverton: 8 min · Run #2: Roper's Park
📍 Week 2 · SLC North Bench
Run #1: Murray (Cottonwood Creek trail)
Drive to Midvale: 7 min · Run #2: City path
📍 Week 3 · East Bench Canyon
Run #1: Sandy (Hidden Valley Park)
Drive: 12 min · Run #2: Big Cottonwood Canyon
📍 Week 4 · Utah County Day Trip
Run #1: Lehi (Thanksgiving Point area)
Drive: 8 min · Run #2: AF Canyon trailhead
Finishes Jan 2028 at this pace
💡 Saturday Double-Run Rule
Pick two cities within 15 min of each other. Run City A → short drive → Run City B. Total: ~2.5 hrs. Two double-run Saturdays = 4 cities from weekends alone. Stack the rest on weekday routes from Draper.
🏃 Best City Pairs for Saturday Double-Runs
| City A | City B | Between | From Draper | Content Angle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Jordan | Riverton | 8 min | 12 min | SoJo vs Riv rivalry 🔥 |
| Murray | Midvale | 7 min | 20 min | Old vs new Utah vibes |
| Lehi | American Fork | 8 min | 20 min | Silicon Slopes country |
| Lindon | Pleasant Grove | 10 min | 28 min | Utah County classics |
| West Valley City | Taylorsville | 10 min | 22 min | Gritty west side energy |
| Bountiful | North Salt Lake | 10 min | 30 min | Legacy Parkway corridor |
| Ogden | South Ogden | 12 min | 45 min | Northern Utah road trip |
| Provo | Orem | 12 min | 35 min | BYU territory 🙏 |
| St. George | Washington City | 15 min | 3.5 hrs | Epic red rock content 🤌 |
| Cedar City | Enoch | 12 min | 2.5 hrs | Southern Utah road trip |
📱 Content Strategy: How to Go Viral With This Challenge
Based on @mcclain.inutah's Instagram. His Utah High School series hits 2.4K–4.6K likes and 300–600 comments every time. Here's the playbook.
1️⃣ 255 Episodes Is Your Engine
His HS series works because it's ongoing — people watch for their school. Your challenge has 255 built-in episodes. Tease the next city at the end of every video.
2️⃣ Optimize for Comments, Not Likes
One car selfie got 284 comments: "Tell me the craziest thing at your HS?" For cities: "Which city should I hit next? Drop it below 👇" Comments = algorithm fuel.
3️⃣ The "Accurate or Nah?" Formula
His most-used caption. For you: "Would you run a 5K here? 😅" or "This city underrated or overrated?" Low-effort to comment = high engagement rate.
4️⃣ City Identity = Tribal Comments
People defend cities like they defend schools. "Running through [City]… tell me what makes it special" gets locals flooding comments and tagging their friends.
5️⃣ Collabs Kill Your Numbers
Solo content: 2.4K–4.6K likes. Collab posts: 62–303 likes. That's a 15× drop. This challenge stands alone — don't dilute it with other creators.
6️⃣ Utah Scenery = Best Hook
Lead every reel with the best visual of that city. Utah is gorgeous. Your first second decides the swipe. Landscape first, you second, always.
7️⃣ Post Daily, Not Perfectly
He posts 1–2x/day. On rest days: polls, "guess the city" games, "which city next?" Keeps the algorithm warm between run days.
8️⃣ Hashtag Smart
Always #utah #utahlife #utahgram + rotating #utahrunner or #utahisrad. Stay niche. Hide below fold with period breaks. Always.
9️⃣ Build a Branded Hashtag
Create #McClain255 and use it every post. Makes the challenge searchable, builds community identity, encourages followers to track your progress.
🔟 The Giveaway Strategy Works
City #2 was "guess which city, I'll DM you a video." Followers get invested in your route. One per month = follows + comments + shares in one shot.
🎯 The Big Picture
255 cities is a nationally unique challenge. Nobody else is doing this. This isn't just a running account — it's a Utah culture documentary. Give each city character — its best trail, its weirdest thing, a local interaction — and every Utahn will share it with someone from that city. That's how you build to 100K.