Army Widow Channels Grief Into Running

Army Widow Channels Grief Into Running
Austin Jenkins
06/22/2011

DUPONT, Wash. — This weekend, an Army widow named Lisa Hallett will lead a group of runners in Seattle's Rock 'n' Roll marathon and half-marathon. They are members of a running club that formed during an especially deadly deployment of Washington-based soldiers to Afghanistan. For Hallett and her teammates, running has become not only a way to remember their loved ones, but an outlet for their grief.

It's a Saturday morning in DuPont, Washington – just across Interstate 5 from Joint Base Lewis-McChord. More than 350 people in blue shirts have gathered in a local park.

"Moment of silence please."

Army Lt. Ben Hunter leads a weekly ritual. Members of the group call out the names of fallen soldiers – starting with the 5th Stryker Brigade.

Hunter calls out, "From 1-17 infantry Sgt. Troy Tom, Pfc. Jonathan Yanney, Capt. John Hallett."

Dozens of names later, the circle breaks up. Shoe laces are tied, maps are checked and then they're off - a ribbon of blue snaking through the wooded park trails, the sound of footfalls on pavement.

Wear Blue: Run to Remember is a group of military families, supporters and even soldiers who gather each week to run and remember the war dead.

Founder Lisa Hallett says she first got serious about running when her Army husband went to Ranger school.
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Army Widow Channels Grief Into Running