Run Across America visits Madison County for the first time

April 19 marked the first time that Noah Coughlan made his way along the Madison River for the first time in his quest to complete his run across all 50 states in time for the USA 250 celebrations on July 4. He was escorted on his way through Madison County by members of the Madison Valley Rural Fire District and the Madison County Sheriff’s Office. He took time from his 30-45 mile per day pace to visit with members of the MVRFD at station 1 in Ennis. 

“It's a general tribute to the people,” said Coughlin during his stop in Ennis. “It's not political in any way. It's merely an observation of our very existence as Americans.” He is scheduled to complete his goal of crossing all 50 states in Hawaii on July 4. In the mean-time, he will be running from Montana through Idaho and Oregon and then heading to Alaska. 

“I did not plan this out 15 years ago when I started my first run,” said Coughlin who is on his fifth traverse of the United States.  “ I had very small, humble beginnings. I just wanted to help out some girls from my church with a rare brain disease, and then I kept running.”

Although not a veteran himself, Coughlin has gone out of his way to express his gratitude to the veterans and first responders that he has met along the way. 

“My goal along the way is to highlight community members, whether it's school children or the veterans, firefighters, police officers,” he continued. “The reality is what you all deal with, 24/7 around the clock, whether it's wildfires or emergency calls, it's quite a bit. So at least briefly, thank you for welcoming me in your community.”

Coughlin worked his way South on HWY 287 towards the Idaho border with check-ins from the MCSO and escorts from veterans and interested folks from Ennis and surrounding communities. You can follow along with his journey at runforusa.com.

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