Team Osan braves elements, runs marathon for Knights of Heroes

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Stacy Foster
  • 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SEOUL, Republic of Korea --  On a cold, rainy morning, 55 Team Osan members made their way to the starting line dressed in running gear and homemade ponchos to run the 2011 Seoul International Marathon here March 20.

While some had run marathons before and were looking to improve their times, all were there for an additional reason -- to raise enough money to give something back to the families of America's heroes through an organization called Knights of Heroes.

Knights of Heroes was created in January 2007 as a means to provide Christian mentorship and fellowship to children who have lost a parent serving in the military.

Families with boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 17 are invited to attend a week-long camp in Colorado at absolutely no cost. While the kids are at camp, the parents spend the week visiting sights in and around Colorado Springs. Lodging and travel arrangements are made for the families who attend from outside the local area.

Lt. Col. Steve Harrold, 51st Fighter Wing plans and programs office, is a member of the Knights of Heroes board of directors and said members who ran the marathon helped surpass the original goal by getting friends and families to sponsor them through donations.

"Our goal this year was to bring as many kids to camp as possible. Our original stated goal was $10,000 which equates to 20 kids," said Colonel Harrold. "We reached $36,000 which equates to sponsoring every camper (63)."

The Seoul Marathon was used as a means to raise money for the second year and the donations grew from $6,000 to $36,000 in that time frame, thanks to friends and family of Team Osan, most of whom rotate in and out each year.

Through an extensive 16-week training schedule, runners of varying experience and skill levels trained to prepare for the 26.2 mile race.

For Capt. Casey Wyman, 51st Fighter Wing executive officer, it was his first marathon and he was unsure of how to train.

"The team training aspect, really helped me a lot," he said. "Having the wide range of runners skill and personnel motivated me to make the training events and raise a lot of money."

The team raised enough money to enable Knights of Heroes to begin a program for girls, a first for the organization.

"A lot of the women who participated in this year's marathon stepped up to lead the girl's camp," Colonel Harrold said. "Hopefully the program will continue to grow and provide a place for the families of our heroes to gather for years to come."

For more information about Knights of Heroes, visit the Web site at www.knightsofheroes.org.