Red Dirt Run of Honor 5K/Half Marathon Run
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The Red Dirt Run of Honor 5K/Half Marathon will be held on Saturday, May 26, 2018. The run, hosted by the Woodring Wall of Honor and Veterans Park, will help defray expenses in maintaining the Vietnam Memorial Wall and assist with educational programs for the ML Becker Educational Center., “We hope to raise enough money to purchase an electronic media system for the center”, states Elaine Johns, Executive Director. “We need this system to support the teaching curriculum, we have organized, which includes video testimonies from veterans from WWII to present day. To allow space for traveling exhibits, such as the current MiG-21 on display, we needed to be creative with our placement of a permanent DVD system, projector and screen. We want to purchase a 12 ft. electronic screen that can be lowered and still be above the exhibits allowing students unobstructed views from all areas of the museum. We have the wiring routed but lacked the money to finish that project during the initial build. We have established a new relationship with the Vietnam Veterans Educational Center in Washington DC and they will be partnering with us to Skype in teaching practices for area public schools and colleges which include the Vietnam War in their curriculum,” states Johns.
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The event will be held at the veterans’ park located at the entrance to Woodring Regional Airport in Enid, Oklahoma. The Half Marathon run begins at 7:00 am and 5K will begin at 8:00 am. Runners have a challenging run in this flat, 13.1 mile half marathon course as they run on concrete, blacktop, gravel and red dirt to honor those who have given the ultimate sacrifice or have served in our military. Five water stops are placed strategically through the course and are hosted by the Girl Scouts, Blue Star Mothers, Yes We Can Civitan Club and volunteers from Vance AFB. Runners who sign up for this race and run in the Great Land Run’s Half Marathon in September receive a special series medal and a discount on both races. See information on the race online at www.okreddirtrun.com. Registration, for the series, can be submitted electronically through www.itsyourrace.com. All pre-registered 5K/half marathon runners will receive a shirt, personalized dog tags and a certificate bearing the names of the fallen or a military member of their choice.
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Registration for the Red Dirt Run of Honor will also be open on race day starting at 6:30 am at the Woodring Wall of Honor’s new educational center. Bailey Terry, soloist from First Baptist Church of Enid, will perform the National Anthem at the start of both races. Breakfast for the runners will be provided by the Yes We Can Civitan Club. Awards will be provided in multiple age categories. Runners/Walkers who didn’t pre-register or designate the veteran they are running for will be assigned a fallen hero from either the War on Terrorism or the Vietnam Memorial Wall. “We have spouses, sisters, brothers and mothers representing seven of our fallen families who have pre-registered. We would appreciate the community supporting this race in honor of those attending whose family members died preserving our freedoms,” stated Johns. “They don’t have to run, just bring your flags and welcome them at the finish line to show our gratitude for their sacrifices. Let them know Enid remembers and they will not be forgotten.”
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For race information and additional details please contact the volunteers at the ML Becker Educational Center at (580) 233- 4530 or email at wwoh.info@gmail.com . Volunteers are always needed! Call Elaine Johns, Executive Director, at (580) 478-3034 for volunteer opportunities or see our website at www.okreddirtrun.com. Johns said, “Most of the participants in this race aren’t avid event runners, they run and walk out of gratitude for their military family members, comrades or the fallen. They have issued a challenge to all of you. Jay Chambers, a Navy veteran, who is legally blind and has been fighting cancer for several years, has walked in this race for ten years. He walks to remember Pat Patterson, his comrade from Vietnam that took a bullet meant for him, and he says......Who do you run for?”
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