Some people run because they love it. Some run to get in shape. In Rhode Island, two do-gooders just ran 500 miles halfway down the East Coast to raise money for a noble cause.
The men’s inspiring story, as reported by the Providence Journal, started when they picked up casual running as a habit. Coast Guardsman Joshua Milich met his running partner, Brian Tjersland, through an exercise app. They began running marathons, eventually even completing ultramarathons, races that can stretch over 30 or 40 miles. The two decided to channel their energy and accomplishment toward a good cause, settling on Mission 22, a nonprofit organization dedicated to combating the epidemic of veteran suicide.
It’s hard to imagine a more pressing issue. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, 17 veterans kill themselves every day, and the rate of veteran suicide is 1.5 times that of nonveterans. Naturally, Milich and Tjersland found this state of affairs heartbreaking — and they decided to do something about it.
“Men and women who serve our country make sacrifices for our freedoms,” Milich said. “I don’t know if we do enough to give back to them, especially when they come back from serving overseas and don’t get the support they need.”
The two dedicated an astounding 500-mile run to the cause, trekking from Massachusetts to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Running 40 or 50 miles a day, in their telling, took a destructive toll on their bodies beyond anything they could have imagined. But they were able to raise almost $50,000 for Mission 22. That’s an amount that could save lives.
