Community Corner
3,500-Mile Memorial Run Stops In Bel Air
Runners converged in Bel Air as part of a relay to honor those lost on 9/11 and celebrate first responders.
BEL AIR, MD — A group of runners pounded the pavement at night this week in Bel Air as part of a more than 3,500-mile trek benefitting first responders and military members.
Call the Great American Relay, the event was designed to honor those who lost their lives on 9/11.
The Great American Relay began Sept. 11 in New York and will end in October in California, according to organizers. Along the way, the route courses from fire stations from Boston to Santa Monica, with batches of runners helping to carry a baton across 18 states.
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Runners took off from the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday before continuing to the Kingsville Volunteer Fire Company, organizers said.
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A severe thunderstorm warning took effect around 9:30 p.m. as 60 mph wind gusts were detected on a line near Fallston, according to the National Weather Service.
“We ran in some difficult conditions," said Kelly Bryant of Jarrettsville, who participated in the relay along with others from the area. "A severe storm hit us at about mile 6, but, we were determined to finish."
Holding the American flag, the runners honored those who died on Sept. 11, completing their run around midnight.
"We ran through torrential rain, lightning and in the dark," Bryant said. "The Harford County Sherriff’s department kept us safe, that is for sure."
A motorcade followed the runners along their journey.
The Harford County Sheriff's Office reported Thursday that its personnel were "honored to escort the runners in the Great American Relay" Wednesday night.
"It was an adventure," Bryant said. "But we just continued to push through thinking of those we were running for, running for those that can’t."
For Bryant, the relay had special significance. She lost 175 colleagues in the attacks.
Bryant was supposed to be at the Aon office in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, but her work trip was canceled.
The Great American Relay, which raises money for first responders and military members, is expected to conclude Oct. 19.
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