9,200 streets. 7,400 miles. Brighton woman runs every road in Monroe County

A Brighton woman this week finished her seven-year quest to run or walk all of the roads within Monroe County.

What grew from a 2019 goal of running all 409 streets in Brighton morphed into a plan to explore every street within Monroe County for Daryl Dear Cubitt. All 9,220 of them.

"It was a fun goal, which I met," said Cubitt, now 63. "But then COVID hit and the boredom set in. I needed a new goal."

Cubitt started logging miles on new-to-her roadways. She walked weekly with a friend on Irondequoit roads she had not previously explored. A relative suggested she try to tackle the whole county and Cubitt simply laughed.

Then she reconsidered. She sat down, crunched the numbers and realized that although it would take several years - and a lot of planning - such a feat was attainable.

So Cubitt got moving. She slowly ticked the more than 9,200 streets off her checklist - miles at a time. Major highways including the area interstates were not included in her road list.

Last week, she completed her final 18 roads - nearly nine miles - ultimately finishing with Zygment Road, a residential road off Hudson Avenue in northeast Rochester. It seemed fitting to finish with the end of the alphabet, she said.

"It's been kind of crazy, but also fun," she said.

While Cubitt said she is thrilled to have reached her goal, she admitted she is "just a little verklempt that it's over."

In all, she estimated that she ran more than 7,400 miles on her quest - much of which she tackled solo. For roughly five years, four or five days each week, she logged miles across Monroe County's 19 towns, 10 villages as well as the City of Rochester. She went, no matter the weather.

"I've lived here my entire life," said Cubitt, who was raised in the city. "But now, I have seen corners of Monroe County I never expected."

Cubitt said she was pleasantly surprised by how she was welcomed by curious onlookers.

"People are awesome," she said. "Some offered rides as it rained, others offered fresh fruit. Some even invited me to join their neighborhood watch."

Cubitt said the whole endeavor was incredibly time-consuming but fulfilling. She hopes she can inspire others to "plunge in and do it" when considering a plan.

What's next? Cubitt plans to run at least one organized race in each of New York's 62 counties, no matter the distance. (She has already completed races in 10 counties.) She also plans to increase her time volunteering.