On Sunday, Sam Thompson plans to take a little rest. Maybe sleep in, watch a ballgame, or crash on the couch. He’s earned it.

Thompson, a Vicksburg native, will complete his quest to run 51 marathons in 50 days in 50 states on Saturday, when he runs through the streets of Bay St. Louis. He’ll begin his final 26.2-mile race at 6 a.m., finish around 10, and then wonder what to do next.

&#8220It’s definitely exciting to be reaching the end. It’ll be a little weird on the 51st day not running a marathon,” he said with a laugh.

Thompson started his journey across America on July 1 in Leadville, Colo. Since then he has run a marathon in a different state each day, starting out west and working his way back east. He saved the last two marathons for New Orleans and Bay St. Louis, two of the cities most affected by Hurricane Katrina last August and the inspiration for his feat in the first place.

Shortly after the storm, Thompson went to Bay St. Louis to work as a volunteer with the First Presbyterian Church and assist with cleanup efforts. Eventually, he became the supervisor of the church’s relief work, overseeing as many as 100 volunteers on any given day.

As time passed, however, Thompson saw that the attention of the national media was drifting away from the Coast, even though the situation was still dire. He decided to use the &#822050 in 50 in 50 Run For Hope” as a way to draw attention back to the area. It worked.

Since starting his journey, Thompson has done interviews with NBC’s &#8220Today” show, CNN and ABC, along with a number of newspapers and TV stations in the cities where he was running.

&#8220I’ve been pleasantly surprised there’s been a focus on the cause of the running. There’s been one or two news stories that completely ignored it, but on the whole it’s been good,” Thompson said.

Thompson started the run initially just to raise awareness – not money – for the relief efforts. Since he started, however, clothing manufacturer The North Face has signed on as a sponsor and the company set up a charitable fund. He said the attention and the money he hopes will follow for Katrina victims will make his efforts worthwhile.

&#8220Even if I helped one extra family get back in their home, I’ll feel like I made a difference and accomplished what I wanted to,” he said. &#8220Everybody has their own way of doing something, and this is my way.”