Friday's Photo

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Finish line of the ASA Run For The Warriors® 5K
Photo provided courtesy of Paul Oberle

Losing and Loving It--Run For The Warriors®

I am an average runner.  I run approximately 25 miles per week and I finish my races at a respectable time.  I never win--and only get an age group award in the smaller races.  However, like most runners, I still don't like being passed during a race.  I know it will happen--it does in every race.  But it doesn't mean that I have to like it.

There is one exception however.  In May 2010, I flew to North Carolina to work and participate in the Run For The Warriors® in Jacksonville.  This nationwide race series began in Jacksonville and the race there has grown each year.  That year, I decided to run the 10K.

I have highlighted this race before in this blog so many of you know something about the event.  It begins with a ceremony, honoring those that have been wounded and fallen.  The ceremony is the perfect start to this important event.  No matter where the race is held, it gives the local community the opportunity to honor those that have sacrificed so much.

And then the race begins.  In Jacksonville, we have a large group of handcyclists that begin the race. They speed through the race course at speeds that no one on foot could keep up with.  Side note--do you know anyone that has ever won the Boston Marathon?  We do!  One of our Team members, a wounded veteran, won in the handcycle division in 2011.  Too cool!

Along with the handcyclists, many wounded service members participate in the race on foot.  And this is when I was glad to be passed.

On that day in May 2010, I was running with my coworker Sarah.  It was hot, humid and I was not having very much fun.  I had run a 10K only two weeks before and had a great race.  The race that day was not going as well.  Less than half way through, we were passed by one of our wounded.  He was running, uneffected by the heat, with a prosthetic in place of his left leg. 

This is why I love the Run For The Warriors®.  Among those participating are families, friends, community members and most importantly, our service members.  I was glad to be passed by this young Marine that day and proud of his achievement.

As I said before, this race is now a nationwide series and we have several races slated in 2012.  To see a complete listing, visit our race page.  We are already accepting early registrations for two of these races, one in Secaucus, New Jersey and in Jacksonville.  Soon our race in Manhattan will be open too. 

If there is no race near you, we still encourage you to participate by donating to someone who is raising funds for their race.  You can find people by going to the registration page for each race.  All funds raised will benefit the military families that we assist.  We hope to see all of you there!

Friday's Photo

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Voltin easily passes his competition in the 9/11 Run For The Warriors® 5K

Year In Pictures - Heroes are Welcomed Home

Photo courtesy of Petty Officer John Jacobs, USCG

This photo was taken at this year's Run For The Warriors® in Jacksonville, NC.  I love that this family is running together, supporting our wounded service members and military families.  This year, the kids come along for the ride.  One day, they will join in the fun and run the race themselves.

The Run For The Warriors® was created first and foremost as a means to welcome home wounded service members and honor them for their service and sacrifice. For those of you without a military background, I need to share the excitement of a typical Homecoming. 

When a battalion returns from a deployment, family and friends gather on a large, open field on the military base.  The field is filled with children, parents, husbands and wives.  Bounce houses are set up to keep the kids occupied as the frazzled parents wait.  Music plays, food is served and the cameras are ready.  It might be early morning, afternoon, evening or the middle of the night.  When the service members arrive in their buses, each family member and service member frantically searches the crowd for their loved ones. There are hundreds of people greeting each other, hugging, kissing and crying.

Now imagine the “homecoming” of a wounded service member.  They are pulled out of a battle field and transported to a series of bases until they arrive at a medical facility.  No music plays, no food is served and certainly, no one is waving with excitement.  The only cameras clicking are MRI and x-ray machines.  Fear replaces the excitement.

In 2006, a group of Marine wives held the first Run For The Warriors® at Camp Lejeune to change all of that.  The event opened with a ceremony to honor a group of wounded Marines and to give them the Homecoming they deserved.  That particular day, it was cold and rainy. However, thousands of runners and family members did not care.  They clapped, cheered, cried and celebrated their wounded heroes that morning.  

Each year, this race continues with more and more people who attend to race, participate and honor.  And true to its beginning, the race always begins with a ceremony to welcome our heroes home.

To learn more, visit our Run web page.

Year In Pictures - In Honor Of

A runner at the 9/11 Run For The Warriors® , held in Wallace, NC this past September.
Photo provided courtesy of Jon Althouse

In each of the races in our Run For The Warriors® series, people have the opportunity to wear these extra bibs on their backs.  As you pass other runners, or they pass you, there is a constant reminder that you are doing more than just participating in a local event.  In each race, you are honoring those that serve and running in memory of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.


We do not need to see and read these special bibs to honor the men and women in our military.  Especially on Christmas Day, as you celebrate with your family and friends, I hope that you remember the sacrifices made by our military families. Remember both the service members in Afghanistan and their families--spouses, children, parents and more--all who wish the entire family was together.  Remember the families of the fallen.  For many, their pain is more intense during the holidays and we pray for strength for each family member.  And of course, we pray that each service member now deployed comes home free from harm.


Merry Christmas to all!

Photo provided courtesy of Paul Oberle.

Friday's Photo

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Runner in the Long Island Run For The Warriors® leaves no man behind.