There's cross-country running, and then again, there's running across the whole country. The latter is the goal of 41-year-old Noah Coughlin.
He just passed through the town of Seneca Falls, N.Y., on Wednesday of this week. His goal? A 5,500-mile journey across America, on foot.
Here he is, going through Seneca Falls.
As an interesting side note, Seneca Falls is the little berg that inspired the movie It's a Wonderful Life. Also of interest, Noah is currently running along the longest road in the United States, U.S. Route 20, which spans some 3,365 miles. It begins in Newport, Ore., and ends in Boston, Mass. He's going the other way, of course, heading west.
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According to Noah, the plan is to be running through Hawaii on Independence Day, July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of our nation's founding. He'll keep running, even through the snow we're getting around here today. As long as it's not icy, he says.
And, no — his name is NOT Forrest Gump.WROC-TV in Rochester, N.Y., filed this report from another town along Noah's route, Avon, N.Y, about 25 miles north of my office here. As you can imagine, the reaction from locals is pretty much the same in every town he goes through.
To give you an idea of how long Noah's journey will take, he started in October in Maine. He was in the Albany, N.Y., area on New Year's Eve.
Noah has done cross-country runs four times before, but this time, the story has taken on a life of it's own — with the addition of the U.S. flag on one of his previous runs back in 2013. It was provided to him by the U.S. Air Force, according to his web page.
He says he originally placed it on his gear cart for visibility, as a safety feature. After all, he's running along major highways. Visibility is key to his safety. But that flag becoming part of Noah's image is now attracting attention all along his path, and it's changed the entire tone and purpose of the journey, he says. You can see the locals' reaction for yourself, in the vids I've linked above.
Noah dedicated his first run in 2013 to finding a cure for Batten Disease, a fatal disease of the nervous system that typically begins in childhood. Onset of symptoms usually occurs between five and 10 years of age. He dedicated his second run to the same goal.
His third run was for all the 30 million Americans who face over 7,000 known rare diseases. Noah joined Congress as he ran through Washington, D.C., for a press conference to advocate for the 21st Century Cures Act. His fourth Ocean to Ocean run, according to his website, was a 3,700-mile course from the U.S./Canada border at Blaine, Wash., to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. It was a tribute to publicly thank and recognize the American veteran and active-duty military, with an urgent emphasis on interviewing World War II Veterans, as they approached the age of 100 and their numbers decreased.
Noah is now on his 5th run, which he says will be his last. It's a tribute to highlight the American Spirit and the stories of the 350 million American people, to meet rare-disease families, and to interview some of the 70,000 remaining World War II Veterans. At this point in his run series, Noah has crossed 36 states, with 14 he has yet to set foot in. When he finishes his final Ocean to Ocean run on America's semiquincentennial birthday, on July 4th, 2026, in Hawaii, he will become only the third person ever to have crossed all 50 States on foot.
Over the course of his previous runs, Noah has been honored with countless awards, proclamations, commendations, resolutions, and flag presentations. A select few include:
- Presentation of American Flag and Certificate of Authenticity by the United States Air Force, Travis Air Force Base, California. Oct. 19, 2014
- Proclamation by the City of Vacaville, Calif. "Noah Coughlan Day," Feb. 15, 2015.
- Proclamation by the State of Maryland. Run For Rare. Feb. 28, 2015
- Statement of Congressional Record, U.S. House of Representatives, Congressional Rare Diseases Caucus, Energy and Commerce Committee. Presented personally by Rep. John Garamendi, Rep. Leonard Lance, and Rep. Gus Bilirakis. March 17, 2015.
- Presentation of the Flag of the Commonwealth of Virginia by the State of Virginia. March 22, 2015.
- Proclamation by the State of Arkansas, presented personally by Gov. Asa Hutchinson. April 27, 2015.
- Presentation of American Flag and Certificate of Authenticity by the United States Air Force, Travis Air Force Base, California. May 20, 2023.
- Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition by Rep. Mike Thompson. California, Nov. 17, 2023
- Commendation by Sen. Marco Rubio. Florida, Nov. 11, 2023.
Noah is calling this, his final cross-country run, "The Run For America." He hopes to have a documentary out sometime in 2027. Meanwhile, you can check on his progress here.
Consider this article my respectful salute to his efforts.
