In 2005, a Marine Reserve Unit, 3rd Battalion 25th Marines deployed to Iraq. They lost 48 of their brothers throughout that deployment. In 2010, three of the Marines that served with those lost created the Memorial 100 to honor those lost. The event became a relay run for the Memorial Day Weekend in an effort to "interrupt" the holiday weekend and remind people that Memorial Day was set to remember those lost.
For the first two years, the relay was held in Virginia, beginning at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond and ending at the Iwo Jima Memorial in Washington D.C. From point-to-point, the course was 106 miles, broken apart by several different runners. Each leg was run by two people, one carrying the American Flag, the second carrying the Hope For The Warriors® flag. In 2011, they also raised funds for Hope For The Warriors®.
This year, the location was changed to New York. Relay participants started at Orient Point, NY and the relay moved 100 miles west, ending at Ground Zero.
The group also added first responders to the participants and quickly gained support from several great New York groups. They included: FDNY Marine Corps Association, FDNY Retired Firefighters, NYPD USMC Association, Suffolk County Police, Nassau County Police, Riverhead Police Department, Southold Fire Department, Southold Police Department and the NYPD and FDNY.
The Memorial 100 Run was a perfect fit for the people of Long Island and New York. Residents lined the street, cheered for the runners and honored those lost. As one participant shared, it was a life-changing event.
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