Riggs ran the Hartford Marathon a day after finishing his quest to run all 169 towns in Connecticut. — Hartford Courant/TNS
For most of the runners at the Eversource Hartford Marathon in Connecticut, the United States, Oct 11's race was the culmination of months of gruelling training — an odyssey that would test their will and endurance, and provide immense personal satisfaction at the finish line.
For Shan Riggs, this was a cool down.
He decided to lace up the sneakers as a victory lap of sorts, because, why not? It’s only another 26.2 miles (42.2km).
Riggs did all of that to benefit the CT Children’s Foundation and Medals4Mettle, which donates medals from race finishers to children and adults fighting debilitating diseases as a way to spread love, kindness and encouragement.
Shan and his wife Joshuaine, who live in Southbury, started a Connecticut chapter of Medals4Mettle about a year ago. Shan’s run through every town in the state was a way to raise money and awareness.
"It’s a relief. But it’s also exhilarating,” he said after he crossed the finish line on Saturday (Oct 11). "I felt like we finished (Friday). This is like, the icing on the cake.”
Riggs ran between 35 and 40 miles (56km and 64km) most days over the previous month. It was an adjustment for him: "There’s no way to train to run 40 miles,” he said, but his body slowly adapted.
Joshuaine planned out the route for him, ensuring he’d pass by each town’s historical markers –those blue signs found near town halls or libraries — and he stopped at each and every one of them to take a selfie.
The two of them embarked on this journey while working full-time jobs, and raising awareness for their cause.
Riggs, who is a marketing consultant, said he would sometimes take work meetings while running.
"I just told my clients what I was up to. For the next 34 days, I’ll still be on these meetings, but the background will be moving,” he said, laughing. "They got a kick out of it.”
The following year, he ran from Key West, Florida, up to Canada — with Joshuaine biking alongside him — and he proposed to her at the end.
Riggs said the idea for this journey began when someone at the Hartford Marathon Foundation, where he used to work, asked, "Has anyone ever run all 169 towns (consecutively)?”
Of course, the two learned a lot about the state on their trek, and had the leaf-peeping experience of a lifetime.
"When we started, it was completely green. And now, we’re in the latter part of fall. That’s a long run.”
Going for 40-mile runs every day was exhausting, Riggs said, but his mind always went back to the mission.
"What I did is not nearly as tough as what these kids are going through,” he said. "So we’re just trying to connect back the spirit of appreciating the toughness, the things that they’re going through.
"I like the idea of going until every cell in your body wants you to stop, and you just keep going anyway. That sort of resilience, it ties back to Medals4Mettle. What can you do when all the chips are down, can you get up? That is kind of interesting to me, to see what you’re made of.” – Hartford Courant/Tribune News Service
To follow Shan and Joshuaine’s adventures, visit their website at www.extremelyoutside.com.
