Marathoners Honor Loved Ones Lost In Combat
- By News
- Published Jul. 29, 2011
- Updated Jul. 29, 2011 at 9:45 AM UTC
Lisa Hallett, the co-founder of the running group Wear Blue, will be taking part in this weekend's San Francisco Marathon. Photo:San Jose Mercury News
They wear blue to remember the sacrifice of the departed.
This Sunday a special group of runners will be taking part in the San Francisco Marathon. They number about 30 and will be wearing bright blue shirts. They are special because they have, in some way, been affected by the loss of a loved one in combat either in Afghanistan or Iraq.
One such runner is Lisa Hallett. Her husband, John, a West Point graduate, was killed when an explosive device blew up after his unit had returned from delivering cholera vaccine to a village in Afghanistan.
Two days after she found out this horrendous news, Lisa turned to running. She had used running as a coping mechanism in the past to deal with the challenges of being a military spouse.
“How I process and deal with things is through running, completely,” she said. I cannot process anything until my feet hit the pavement. It was the first chance I had to piece together the reality that John had been killed.”
Since John’s death two summers ago, Lisa has completed seven marathons.
For More: San Jose Mercury News
FILED UNDER: News TAGS: Afghanistan / explosive device / honoring veterans / IED / Iraq / Marathon / running as a coping mechanism / running therapy / sacrifice / San Francisco Marathon / Team Wear Blue / veterans / West Point
