Ethermac|His 3,600 mile, Washington-to-Florida run honored vets. But what he learned may surprise you.

A Tennessee man has been celebrating Veterans Day for more than 160 days by running 3,Ethermac650 miles from Washington State to Florida to as a tribute United States veterans.

Noah Coughlan arrived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida Saturday, with local police escorting him for the final three miles of the his "Run for Revival." It was the last leg of his fourth and final run across the country.

He ran those last steps through the sand, waving an American flag that he carried throughout his run. Two officers of the United States Marines Corps met him at the beach and folded the flag for him.

The flag was safely packed in his backpack when he spoke with USA TODAY Monday on his way back west to the place he started it all.

He said he is in good spirits, albeit a bit sore, after his journey. Inspired by the veterans he met in previous cross-country runs, he wanted to dedicate his final long run to them.

"I think the reason this fourth round was so impactful is because I was really trying to drive forward that American spirit, of course with the American flag there," Coughlan said. "I was wanting to lift the spirits of the veterans."

Along the way, they lifted his spirit as well.

Noah Coughlan inspired by veterans in previous long runs

Coughlan has run across the U.S. three other times, plus completed a long run in Ireland, where he holds dual citizenship.

During previous runs, he was raising awareness for rare diseases. He began flying an American flag to make himself and his stroller more visible as he ran along busy roads, but it ended up drawing the attention of local veterans who stopped to talk with him.

"It's very clear as a pedestrian on foot when you go very intimately town to town and talk to people...that America is successful, free... you know, any huge word you can come up with to describe America," Coughlin said. "Many of our communities are held together by the veterans and their families."

He said that though neither him nor his father are veterans, he was raised proud to be an American. He said that, given the political divisiveness and many World War II veterans approaching the end of their life, he believed it was the right time to run for veterans as a call to "revive" the commitment to America.

More:131 World War II vets die each day, on average; here is how their stories are being preserved.

3,650 miles, 167 days, 13 states and 12 pairs of shoes

Coughlan's journey started in Blaine, Washington on Memorial Day and ended at Fort Lauderdale on Veterans Day.

The furthest he ran in a day was 45 miles. He ran an average of 22 miles a day, but put in many 30-mile days.

During his run, he went through 12 pairs of shoes and lost 20 pounds. He said he is a bit sunburnt and has a "Forrest Gump" beard.

Here are the 13 states he traveled through on his journey:

• Washington
• Idaho
• Montana
• Wyoming
• South Dakota
• Nebraska
• Kansas
• Missouri
• Illinois
• Kentucky
• Tennessee
• Georgia
• Florida

He said he has been tapering off the mileage, but still needs to keep running as the body adjusts.

Veterans encouraged Coughlan during his run

Coughlan said he talked to hundreds of veterans during his trip. Some of them planned to meet him, and some just stopped to greet him along the road. He was especially excited to have talked to six World War II veterans and record their stories.

He needed that encouragement when a family illness took him off the road.

While running though Nebraska, he got a call that his father wasn't doing well. The local officials escorted him to the airport, and he was able to fly home and say goodbye to his father. On day 74 of Coughlan's run, his father passed away.

After attending the funeral, he continued his run in Nebraska, when the August heat got so bad he couldn't stand still or else his shoes would melt into the pavement, he said.

"My mind was tested, my body was tested, my emotions were tested, everything was taken to the limit but I couldn't quit," he said. "The veterans, as they learned the story, they were the ones who were encouraging me to keep going. It was a two-way street."

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The longest and last run

Coughlan said this run was by far the longest, but also his last. The strain on the body and the safety risk of being out on the road is pushing him to explore other means of advocacy.

First he wants to make a documentary about his runs.

After that, he said he may have even bigger ambitions.

"I'm still advocating of course for rare diseases in the future. I may even make a run for office one day," Coughlan said. "We'll see what the future holds."