Run returns Friday

Indiana’s Run for the Fallen will be back in Jay County this weekend.

The annual event to honor members of the military who died serving in the War on Terror including Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation New Dawn.

The core team of runners — this year’s group includes Portland’s Eric Butcher and CR Dillon — will run in shifts, covering 140 miles over three days from Fort Wayne to Indianapolis. Additional runners are invited to join the core group for shorter portions of the run. The first day of the event concludes at Freedom Park in Portland.

Indiana’s Run for the Fallen for 2024 will begin at 7 a.m. Friday with opening ceremonies at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne. The runners will make their way south utilizing U.S. 27 and stopping each mile to honor fallen members of the military.

They are scheduled to enter Adams County about 10:26 a.m. and stop at Affolder Implement near South Adams Schools to honor SAHS graduate Nicholas A. Taylor at 2:06 p.m. They will enter Jay County around 3:25 p.m., with a stop to honor Bryant resident and Jay County High School graduate Lance Cpl. Andrew Whitacre at 3:45 p.m. at the intersection of Wilson and Hendricks streets in Bryant. The convoy is expected to reach the north edge of Portland around 4:51 p.m. and finish day one at 5:02 p.m. in Freedom Park.

The run will depart again from Freedom Park at 7 a.m. Saturday, following Water Street and Tyson Road to Indiana 67, reaching Redkey at 9 a.m. and crossing into Delaware County about an hour later. Day two of the run will conclude in Anderson, with Day three ending at Veterans Memorial Plaza in Indianapolis.

For more information, visit indiana.usarunforthefallen.org.