Ragnar NW Passages: Running in Honor of.....

Army SPC Nathan Wyrick and CW3 Frank Buoniconti.

Since I joined Wear Blue Run to Remember last April, I've run in honor of someone who has lost their life in service to our country in every one of my races. It's been an important part of feeling connected to this running community and an honor to get to know these heroes, but the fact that I'm doing this after they've passed on is something that weighs on me. It makes me feel like I could or should do more to honor these men and women.

It's also been a wonderful experience to get to know other members of Wear Blue, both on Facebook and in person, and hear their stories.....which are moving and so very sad. Until recently, this has honestly been an abstract concept to me in a way, as I don't have personal experience with the military. No one close to me has served, much less died during that service.

Running the Seattle Rock and Roll was an amazing experience and one of the reasons was that I met two ladies in particular whose experience with the military has been nothing but personal. They both lost their husbands of several years in the last 9 months. They both have kids and are trying with all their might to face this grief head on and move through it honoring the men they thought they'd spend the rest of their lives with.

I got to run almost all of the RnR half with Nathan's wife Rachel and it was such a moving and humbling experience. She ran in honor of him and was so tough; I was incredibly proud of her and what she put into the race, and what I know it had to take out of her emotionally. I ran the first 5 miles or so with Kryste and she was a force to be reckoned with, even running an extra 3 miles on accident and getting a nice disqualification for it (she's since wrote in explaining the mistake in hopes her time is re-officialized).....

Since the race, I've gotten to know them both a bit more via FB and that connection has had a really powerful effect on me. This is less abstract and more real. I see the faces of these women, and their beautiful kids and know they are digging deep to find the courage to move forward and take care of their families without the men they thought would be standing beside them always. And it's so so fresh. Grief is a funny thing...it's so fleeting in kids and can be so paralyzing for the adults. I am so in awe of these ladies and their courage and strength in the face of an unimaginable loss.

So I am choosing to run in honor of Nathan and Frank for this relay. I'll got my WB shirts all packed so I can represent and honor these two men and the families they've left behind.

Army SPC Nathan Wyrick died on October 10, 2011 

 CW3 Frank Buoniconti died on December 12, 2011