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Running for a reason

By NATE HUBBARD/Staff

A group of literal cross-country runners made a swing through Southwest Virginia on Monday, churning through 60 miles to honor 60 U.S. servicemen killed in Iraq.
The stretch from Abingdon to Wytheville was just a small portion of the runners’ 4,086-mile trek across the continental United States – one mile for each U.S. military member killed in Iraq from the first death in March 2003 through death No. 4,086 on June 3, 2008, a few days before the group began its journey.
The “Run for the Fallen” mission was developed by Jon Bellona of Clinton, N.Y., whose Hamilton College roommate, 1st Lt. Michael J. Cleary, was fatality No. 2,159.
Bellona and a core group of about a dozen team members began their journey on June 14 – Flag Day – in Fort Irwin, Calif. Monday was day 59 of 70 consecutive days of running, which when completed will take the runners to Arlington National Cemetery.
The team then is holding a concluding event at the cemetery on Aug. 24 to collectively honor all military members killed in Iraq and those who lost their lives fighting in Afghanistan.
The group also is urging everyone around the nation to run a mile on that day and reflect on the sacrifices made by the fallen soldiers.
While the numbers are staggering, Bellona said the trip is about individuals, not statistics.
“We’re out to remember their lives, not their deaths,” he said. “Each mile is unique because each mile is a different piece of America; each mile is a different service member.”
During their more than two months on the road, the core team members are splitting each day’s mileage, with each runner logging around 5-10 miles a day.
Bellona estimated that he personally already has run about 400 miles.
“It’s been unbelievable out here,” he said. “It’s truly remarkable.”
The group has been honoring the service members in chronological order of their deaths, so the first mile honored the first fallen soldier and mile 1,000 honored fatality No. 1,000.
Monday’s Abingdon to Wytheville stretch was a remembrance of troops killed between May 24, 2007, and June 7, 2007 – deaths 3,444 through 3,503.
For each mile, the runners are posting a flag and a dedication marker with a photo and biographical information of the service member they will pay tribute to for the next 5,280 feet.
“One mile of sweat and pain to pay homage to one soldier’s life,” states the “Why we run” section of the team’s Web site. “It is through the embodiment of each mile that we reflect upon and activate the memory of those who gave their lives.”
Along their cross country journey, the core runners have been joined by a wide array of people who have run a mile or two alongside them to honor a particular soldier or to show general support for their cause.
Bellona said that the run is an entirely apolitical endeavor, again stressing that the purpose is to remember the life of each individual soldier.
“There’s some things bigger than politics and this is one of them,” he said.
The founder said that “97 percent” of the reaction to the group’s cause has been positive, adding that once people realize what they’re doing they usually don’t mind if they hold up traffic for a few minutes.
Although thinking about death after death, mile after mile can be a solemn task, Bellona said remembering the soldiers’ strength gives him the strength to keep pounding the pavement.
For more information on “Run for the Fallen” or to donate to the cause go to http://www.runforthefallen.org.
Nate Hubbard can be reached at 228-6611 or .