With more people than ever lacing up running sneakers and crossing the 26.2-mile finish line, how can a dedicated athlete stand out from the crowd?

Run five marathons. In five states. In five days.

That was the thinking behind Lisa McGarry’s September trip for the Center of the Nation Series of marathons. The trip took the 44-year-old to run marathons in North Dakota on Monday and Nebraska on Friday, with South Dakota, Wyoming…