Military honored at seventh annual Run for the Fallen

Running for those who gave the most.

The Seventh Annual Run for the Fallen, held on Saturday, October 1, near John Paul Jones (Cannonball) Park, saw proud veterans and family members of those who served in the armed forces, gather to honor the lives of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to this country.

The 6k race started in 2008, when a team of runners began a 10-week journey from Fort Irving, California, to Arlington National Cemetery. The team ran a mile for every service member killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and marked each mile with an American flag.

Since its inaugural year, the Run for the Fallen has attracted over 50,000 runners who have travelled 200,000 miles collectively.

This year, the 75 participating runners were separated into four age categories.

The winner in the men’s 18-25 category was Gilbert Rodriguez (20:11:07). Kristen Golat (30:29:05) won in the women’s 18-25 category. Winners in the men’s and women’s 26-34 categories were George Dontis (25:57:42) and Chana Levin (26:31:30). The men’s 35-45 category winner was Sean Cooney (24:38:34) and Fawn Heitman (28:14:13) took home the top spot in her 35-45 women’s category.  Antonio Tizara (20:16:20) won in the men’s 46-55 category and Jennifer Love (27:27:41) won in the women’s. In the 56 and up men’s and women’s categories, the winners were Craig Diesslin (26:13:53) and Marth Diesslin (29:18:22).

All proceeds from the event went to supporting Fort Hamilton Survivor Outreach Services.