RUNNING WITH A PURPOSE: Heroes remembered in run across the state

Oct. 4—Friday begins the fifth annual Georgia Run for the Fallen, a tribute to Georgia-connected U.S. military men and women that have died in service to the country since the Oct. 12, 2000 bombing of the USS Cole.

The 164-mile route begins just south of Milledgeville at the Georgia Veterans Memorial Cemetery and heads west to Ft. Moore (formerly Ft. Benning) near Columbus. Along the way, solemn stops are made at "hero markers" where names of the fallen are read aloud. They could be from Georgia, served in Georgia, or have family in the state. The name count is more than 750 and continues growing as more people learn of the effort to remember the ones who died serving in the Global War on Terror, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and New Dawn.

"It's important to continue to say these heroes' names," said Candice King, Georgia Run for the Fallen coordinator. "We don't want them to be forgotten."

This year's run begins 7 a.m. Friday with a short ceremony at the local veterans cemetery. From there, the crew of 14 core runners and few more drop-ins will take turns running along the route with stops every eight-tenths of a mile to a mile. Some stops have markers with two or three names. Others have five or six. Every name paid the ultimate price to help Americans continue their free way of life.

The public is encouraged to line the route to both cheer on the runners and honor the sacrifices made. The runners will also be accompanied by motorcycle groups the Patriot Guard Riders, American Legion Riders and Combat Vets. Family members can visit their loved ones' hero marker to hear the fallen hero's name read aloud and receive an Honor and Remember flag. Those who cannot make it in person can follow along virtually thanks to a livestream via the Georgia Run for the Fallen Facebook page.

King, a Canton, Ga. resident, has a connection to the tribute run that is extremely personal. Her son, Army Specialist Ryan King, was killed in Afghanistan May 1, 2009. Honor and Remember, a national organization created to "perpetually recognize" the sacrifice of America's fallen military service members and their families, held America's Run for the Fallen in 2018. That route stretched from California to Arlington National Cemetery and took place over the course of four months. Those markers were organized by date of death, and her son's marker was out in Iowa. She attended to hear his name read off and kept up with the run when it later made its way to the Peach State.

"When they came through Georgia a month or so later, I joined up with them to help out," she said. "After it was over we decided to start a Georgia run. The goal is to eventually have a run in every state so that all the names are called out every year."

According to the Honor and Remember website, 14 states currently have tribute runs. Tennessee and Colorado just recently had theirs. Georgia, Ohio and South Carolina are up next.

The Georgia run ends Sunday at Ft. Moore's Global War on Terrorism Memorial at the Infantry Museum.

"It's kind of surreal sometimes to think we're able to pull it off," King said. "It's big and we're getting more families aware of it so they're able to come out and stand at their hero's marker."

For more information on the event, visit georgia.usarunforthefallen.org or the Georgia Run for the Fallen Facebook page.