FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - It was mission accomplished for a Tennessee man who ended a 3,600-mile journey across the U.S. on foot in South Florida, just in time for Veterans Day.
Noah Coughlan completed his Run for Revival marathon on Fort Lauderdale Beach, Saturday afternoon.
“This was my way to bring America together: by honoring the American military,” he said.
The 167-day, cross-country trek took the runner from Washington state to the Sunshine State, prompting some to call him “Forrest Gump.”
Coughlan traveled through several states since Memorial Day, and he said he did it as a tribute for U.S. veterans.
“It’s their service, it’s their sacrifice, it’s those legendary stories of our greatest generation, our World War II heroes, and even the generations before that,” he said. “May God bless all of our veterans. It’s been a wonderful experience, running from Memorial Day to Veterans Day, and I would do it all over again.”
With a U.S. flag by his side, Coughlan has run 10,000 miles across all of his runs since 2011.
During his tribute to the American soldier, Coughlan said, he was given trust by the U.S. Air Force that the flag would travel ocean to ocean without touching the ground.
Coughlan isn’t a veteran himself, but he said he wanted to honor veterans for everything they’ve done in the military and beyond.
“America is great because of our military — the American valor, the American prestige — and they are some of the most honorable people I’ve ever met,” he said.
There was one point when, the Tennessee native said, this year’s run nearly ended.
“It was day 74. My father passed away; I got to fly home and see him,” he said. “It’s a very traumatic thing to lose a parent, let alone to come back onto the road and run for another 90 days, ultra marathon a day.”
But Coughlan remained committed to the run, inspired by the perseverance of the veterans he met along the way.
“What kept me going was the veterans themselves,” he said. “You know, town to town, they would tell me, ‘Hey, don’t give up,’ and that was the toughest part.”
The flag he traveled with was folded up as his historic run ended on the beach.
The ultra runner said the urgency of this run was to especially honor World War II veterans who’ve reached 100 years old, as they continue to inspire their communities.
“I would just encourage all Americans to just do what you can for your country,” he said, “You don’t have to run across America, but just be engaged, and just remember to thank our World War II veterans. They’re all about 100 years old, and what they’ve done for all of us cannot be duplicated.”
With this run, Coughlan became the fifth person to ever cross America on foot a total of four times.
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