Shan Riggs Makes History as First Person to Run Entire East Coast Greenway

Running approximately 65 km or 40 miles daily for more than two and a half months and travelling through 15 states and 450 communities, Connecticut-based ultrarunner Shan Riggs became the first person to run the entire 4,800 km or 3,000-mile East Coast Greenway from Key West, Florida to the Canadian border at Calais, Maine.

At the finish, Riggs proposed to his partner, cyclist Joshuaine Grant, who had been supporting his run route by cycling beside him and transporting all their supplies on a bike trailer. She said yes to the engagement, but when exactly did he decide to propose?

"I think it was somewhere around New Jersey," said Riggs. 

"I was surprised, but mostly because he still got down on one knee after running for 40 miles straight," joked Grant.

Riggs and Grant departed Key West on April 16 and reached Calais, Maine, 78 days later, taking just two rest days en route to the Canadian border. The mission of Riggs' run was to draw attention to and support for the East Coast Greenway. This wasn't Riggs' first cross-country run. In 2020, he ran 3,255 miles across the United States from San Francisco to the Connecticut coast.

Finally, it was a long weekend for both Canadians and Americans alike with the respective national holidays bookending the weekend. After the two summers of scale-back Canada Day activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, St. Andrews by-the-Sea got back to doing a large-scale Canada Day celebration like the town is typically known for, starting with a firemen's breakfast at the fire hall, followed by a farmers market, childrens races and a cake cutting ceremony with the mayor. An afternoon vintage car parade was followed by a traditional Canada Day parade, which I was lucky enough to cohost for CHCO with Jay Remer from the balcony of the Windsor House on downtown Water Street. Thousands of people from near and far and both sides of the international border populated the town from morning to night. In the late afternoon, Jimmy Rankin headlined the Canada Day concert at KIRA Amphitheatre. The night ended with a massive fireworks display above the wharf.

Those who live in St. Andrews or stayed for the whole weekend also got to see Eastport's Fourth of July fireworks on Monday thanks to the community's close proximity to the US.