A group of area runners dressed in commemorative blue shirts left Smothers Park bright and early on Saturday morning on a mission to run 110 miles across five Kentucky counties as a tribute to the combat troops who have lost their lives serving the American people during the War on Terror, including Operation Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and New Dawn, for the Kentucky Run for the Fallen. Runners left Smothers Park around 7 a.m. on Saturday morning and hope to reach the Kentucky Veterans West Cemetery in Hopkinsville by around 4 p.m. on Sunday.
One of the race organizers, Donna Conley, said that this is the sixth time the annual event has been organized.
“And then after every two miles of running, the runners stop and we all say the names of our fallen soldiers. We stop every two miles because when a solider dies, they actually die twice, whenever they take their last breath and when they are forgotten,” Conley explained.
According to the Kentucky Run for the Fallen’s website, “we run across Kentucky to raise awareness for the lives who fought and died, to rejuvenate their memories and keep their spirit alive and to aid in the healing process” for those families affected by the loss of their loved ones.
The Kentucky Run for the Fallen is held the second weekend of September every year, and the route changes each year.
“Regardless of war or conflict, branch of service or method of death, we ultimately run for them all, honoring their service and sacrifice, and remember what they gave up as their future so that we can have ours,” the website further details.
And that’s why Ashley Houchin runs every year. She started running in the Run for the Fallen in 2018 as a part of the national race that extended from California to Arlington National Cemetery near our country’s capital of Washington D.C.
“I participated in the Kentucky portion of the race,” Houchin explained.
Houchin said that her grandfathers served in the military, but, beyond that, she explains that she’s a “patriotic American” who considers the run a small token of appreciation that she can give back to the soldiers who have passed.
“They work so hard for our freedom. The least I can do is participate in the run because they give their entire lives for us,” she said.
Houchin even brought her husband, Chris, into the action three years ago. He, along with a group of other men, some veterans themselves, escort the runners along the chosen route on motorcycles.
“I love participating,” Chris Houchin said. “It’s an honor to be out her with my buddies who are veterans to help keep the names of the fallen alive.”
Active military members in a medical support unit, mother and daughter Rhianna Riggs and Autumn Neal from LaRue County, entered the run as a way to recognize their fellow soldiers and also veterans from their family.
“We’re running for them because they can’t,” Riggs said. “We’re still here, and they aren’t, so this is just a small way for all of us to honor those who have fallen to protect our freedom.”
More information about the Kentucky Run for the Fallen, including how to sign up for the race or donate to the cause, can be found on kentucky.usarunforthefallen.org.
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