Twelve days. Five hundred miles. One very important cause.

Barrington native Josh Milich and fellow Coast Guardsman Brian Tjersland recently completed an epic journey, jogging from Massachusetts National Veterans Cemetery in Bourne, Mass. to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Va. 

The two men ran, on average, two marathons each day for 12 straight days, pushing through the pain and fatigue for one reason: To end veteran suicide.

"The overall point of the run was to do something so absurd — running 500 miles — that it forced people to look," Mr. Milich said, "and once they looked, we could direct them to our 'Why.' Which was to end veteran suicide."

Mr. Milich, a third generation Barringtonian, said he was out for a normal Saturday jog with Brian about a year ago when he had the idea of completing an epic run. The two active Coast Guard members slowly pieced together the idea of starting their run at the Massachusetts National Veterans Cemetery in Bourne and doing something to give back to U.S. veterans. They soon settled on Arlington National Cemetery as the finish line for their run.

"Once we had the route planned I did some research and found that more than 20 veterans a day committed suicide, which led us to choosing mission22 as the charity we wanted to support," Mr. Milich said. 

Mission22 is a nonprofit organization that works to end veteran suicide in America. 

"I think it’s important to support the men and women that sacrifice so much for us and to show how much we appreciate them," Mr. Milich said. "That’s why we did this. The last thing a service member should ever have to deal with is coming back home after serving and not be given the support to heal and succeed."

Coffee, run, crash

For 12 straight days, Mr. Milich and Mr. Tjersland followed the same exact routine: Wake up at 5 a.m., drink coffee, eat breakfast, and then run for 12 to 16 hours.

"The biggest challenge was the lack of sleep, rest and recovery," Mr. Milich said. 

Following the day-long runs, the men would arrive at their hotel, eat a massive dinner and ice down their legs and stretch before trying to fall asleep. 

"Sleep was nearly impossible because our bodies just hurt so much," Mr. Milich said. "I would wake up in the middle of the night covered in sweat because our bodies were just so out of whack. The weight of the blanket would actually hurt pressed against my toes."

Their bodies began to break down, and the mental struggle of continuing the run grew. But quitting, said Mr. Milich, was not an option.

"The people we met and the support we felt made every step worth it," Mr. Milich said. "We had strangers come up to us daily, sharing stories of loved ones they had lost and how important it was to create the awareness that we did. People would stop us on the street to say thank you, take a picture or just chat … it was truly incredible."

Friends and family met Mr. Milich and Mr. Tjersland along the route. Veterans from American Legion posts offered them home-cooked meals. Inspiration greeted them each day and encouraged them to press on.

Both men also came to appreciate the scale of their journey: They were, after all, traveling hundreds of miles through some of the biggest cities on the east coast … by foot. Mr. Milich said there were a few occasions where he and Mr. Tjersland would turn to each other and laugh out loud, realizing they just ran all the way to New York City. 

"It was amazing to see all the places we got to see, from the Amish farms of Pennsylvania to the projects of Northern Philadelphia or Baltimore," Mr. Milich said.

Both men also praised their support crew — Donnie Williams and Jared Lucas, two New Bedford, Mass. police officer and combat veterans who drove the course and provided the runners with food and water along the way.

"We truly couldn’t have done it without them," Mr. Milich said.

The run raised more than $51,000 for mission22. Mr. Milich and Mr. Tjersland also teamed up with the New Bedford Chapter of mission22 and created fund-raisers that brought in more than $100,000.