2025 - Run169 for Medals4Mettle

We had an eventful 2025, but one of our proudest moments was pulling off Shan’s run through all 169 Connecticut towns, raising more than $5,000 to support Medals4Mettle and the Connecticut Children’s Foundation. It was another challenge, another learning experience, and another extraordinary way to meet new people and share miles with friends. Thank you again for all of your support. The engagement, cheerleading, and donations meant more than we can say.

On a more personal note, Run169M4M was another chapter in how we navigate big, slightly unreasonable ideas together. We each leaned into our strengths - running, planning, problem-solving, storytelling - and found a rhythm that supported not just the run, but each other. That shared purpose is one of the things that makes these adventures so meaningful to us. And we’re grateful to have found the perfect partners to share these moments with.

The route is outlined week by week in the maps below, tracing a zigzag across the state from West Haven to Hartford (click on the image to see more details about each week). Shan capped off the tour with a strong showing at the Eversource Hartford Marathon as a member of the Hartford Marathon Foundation Inspiration Team, finishing in 3:26:55 (a 7:54 pace). Josh celebrated not just Run169M4M, but a successful surgery that made being upright possible again, by completing the 5K in 47:26, a steady 15:15 walking pace (with a short, timid jog at the end).

Now, the numbers (for those who like numbers)

- 1,091 miles (including the marathon)

- 67,200 feet of elevation gain

- 34 days (including 3 rest days)

- 35.2 miles/day (over 31 days)

- 169 Connecticut towns

- 1 Eversource Hartford Marathon

- 1 little 5k at the Eversource Hartford Marathon - Josh :)

- 200+ medals collected

Answers to a few popular questions

What counts as running through a town?

Passing the blue town sign or Town Hall. Each CT town has an official blue town sign, like the one pictured here in Plainfield. The Run 169 Towns Society has mapped the GPS coordinates for each blue sign (thank you!). Josh used that data to map the route. Shan took a photo at each available sign - a few were temporarily removed for repair.

Did Shan have company while running?

He did! One of the joys of running through our home state was seeing local running friends, both old and new, join for some miles. We also saw friends from Shan's 2020 USA crossing and the 2022 East Coast Greenway run (y’all are the best)!

What does Shan do while running alone for 8 hours/day?

To pass the time, Shan listens to podcasts, music, and audiobooks. Other times, he turns everything off and takes in the scenery or meditates.

Which books did Shan listen to?

During Run169M4M, he listened to The Mayflower by Nathanial Philbrick, Final Orbit by Chris Hadfield, Replaceable You by Mary Roach, When Everyone Knows What Everyone Knows by Steven Pinker, Johnstown Flood by David McCullough, and The Endurance Artist by Jared Beasley.

What did Josh do all day?

Josh shuttled Shan to his start and end points daily and met him along the route with food and drinks, especially in the more remote parts of the state. She also spent time working at libraries and coffee shops near the route, and was the point of contact for medal donors and pacers. When work allowed, she met Shan near the end of the day to walk the last few miles together.

What did Shan eat?

The goal was simple: eat enough to sustain the running and recover for the next day. Unlike previous expeditions, Shan was able to eat home-cooked meals every day, including hearty breakfast sandwiches and super nutritious dinners. The focus was high-protein meals (chicken, tofu, steak) paired with vegetables and grains. Favorite dish: rice bowls.

Where did Shan sleep?

Many nights, we were home in our own bed. If the days finished farther from home, we stayed with family or in the RV at a campground.

Was there a favorite day or moment?

One standout day included a stop at Bristol Hospital, where staff and members of their running club joined Shan for lunch and ran with him to Town Hall. Their warm, generous reception was a powerful reminder of the run’s purpose.

An unforgettable moment came in Suffield as Josh waited for Shan to finish his run at a park. She met Farmer Tim, who insisted on donating a medal he’d received 9 years earlier from a friend who ran the Hartford Marathon in honor of Tim's fight against cancer. That medal, the path it's already taken, and Tim's desire to pay it forward left a lasting impression.

Did you have any surprises or challenges during the run?

A few. :)

CT is bigger than it looks! Even after living here for years, we hadn’t fully appreciated how remote some towns are. It’s a small state, but getting to and from its quiet corners wasn’t always easy.

New aches and pains - In the first week, Shan dealt with aches and pains in the usual way - he took it slow and his body adjusted. He did struggle a bit with ankle pain that slowed him down for a few days. It was worrisome at first because it was a "new" pain, but it eventually resolved and didn’t return. It was a relief to move forward without fear of injury.

Thank you for coming along for the ride with us!

Run169M4M was a reminder of how much we value doing big, unwieldy things together - and how meaningful it is to share that effort with a wider community. We’re grateful for the support, the generosity, and the connections that carried us through this run (and into what comes next). We hope your 2025 was full of happy memories and that 2026 brings even more of them.

~ Josh and Shan

xoxoxo