Kyle Harper trains to run in a Marine Corp Marathon race in memory of her fiancé, Staff Sgt. Micheal Hullender. (Jessica Harbin/MNS)
WASHINGTON -This weekend tens of thousands of runners will converge on Washington for the Marine Corps Marathon, 10K and Kids Fun Run races. Some will run for pleasure, others for health, but 175 people are running for a much different reason: to honor their loved ones who died in service for their country.
These runners are part of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors’ “Run and Remember” team, running distance races around the country.
TAPS staffer Ami Neiberger-Miller said distance races like the Marine Corps Marathon help families work through their grief.
Miller said, “Many of them will talk about how invigorating it felt to them, how they felt close with their loved one while they were running and how they think it’s helping them.”
Sunday’s race has a special meaning for 27-year-old Kyle Harper. She is running in memory of her fiancé, Army Staff Sgt. Michael Hullender, who died in Iraq in 2007.
“This was something that I could do to honor Mike,” Harper said. “I could be a part of this group to honor Mike, and to help others and really to help myself as well.”