'Run For The Fallen' Honors NH Soldiers

As the morning sun broke through the haze along the ocean in Rye on Sunday morning, 55 names were read aloud followed by a bell, a memorial to the men and women whose lives have been lost in the war since 2003.

The ceremony marked the beginning of New Hampshire's first Run for the Fallen, organized by Julie Hurrie, of Portsmouth.

Runners, volunteers and family members of those soldiers gathered at Odiorne State Park at 7:30 a.m. Aug. 21 for a 12-mile scenic run through Rye meant to honor the soldiers who've sacrificed their lives for freedom and their families whose lives have been irrevocably changed by that.

A photo of each man and woman killed while serving active duty served as markers along the route to remind runners all along the way why they were there.

Hurrie said she started the New Hampshire chapter of this event after running it in Maine last year.

"It changed my life," Hurrie said of the event. And she decided New Hampshire needed a run of its own, and it needs to happen every year, she said.

Adapted from Maine's run, which is 55 miles – one for every soldier from Maine who has been killed – Hurrie said this year's run is the first of what she hopes to be many in New Hampshire.

The Run for the Fallen began June 14, 2008, in memory of all of the U.S. men and women who'd been killed to that point. A group of runners started in California and ran to Arlington National Cemetery, placing a flag and a biography every mile along the way, one for every soldier who'd been killed to date.

Different iterations of the Run for the Fallen are now held in dozens of states across the country on the same weekend.

Stationed along the way in Rye on Sunday morning, family members and volunteers stood by markers, thanking the runners who returned the thanks with handshakes, hugs and tears.

U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., ran the course stopping to say thank you to the families along the way. She tapped signs as she went by, like many others, giving thanks to the soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

"We're only free, and we only enjoy the freedoms that we do in this country because of those who've gone out and fought and sacrificed for us," she said at the beginning of the run. "And today we're here to honor those who've made the ultimate sacrifice for us."

With a half mile to go, runners gathered at the Odiorne Point State Park boat launch to run the final half mile of the course together. Waiting at the finish line, Carrabba's Italian Grille, of Bedford, had a feast ready for the participants and families.

Following the run, Natalie Healy, mother of Navy SEAL Dan Healy, of Exeter, who was killed in 2005 in Afghanistan, said she wanted to thank the people who'd come out to run that day in honor of her son and the others who've been lost in the war.

"To think that they remember our sons is a gift," she said. "It's a gift that we appreciate and we want to be here to let everybody know that."

A video from Sunday's event is also available here: Video: Runners Honor Fallen NH Soldiers