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9 Half Marathons That Remind Us What Memorial Day Really Means

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Courtesy Dam to Dam Half Marathon

“It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll. I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.” — William Ernest Hensley

1) Dam to Dam Half Marathon • Des Moines, IA

With some of the flattest terrain and most scenic views that Iowa’s capitol city has to offer, this race features as one of its signature stretches a place called Memorial Hill (shown above), whose flags commemorate the brave men and women who’ve lost their lives in service to our country.

June • Race info & signup >>

2) America’s Finest City Half Marathon • San Diego, CA

The rolling green hills of Point Loma, where runners trek through in the early going at this late summer race, today make up Fort Rosencrans National Cemetery, which is home to many monuments (and gravestones) that honor thousands of soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice.

August • Race info & signup >>

3) Wounded Warrior Half Marathon • Irving, TX

The wide, paved pathways of the Campion Trail between Dallas and Fort Worth are the setting for this race, which doubles as a fundraiser for the Semper Fi Fund to support U.S. Marines and sailors who have been injured in combat after the 9/11 attacks.

June • Race info & signup >>

4) Race For a Soldier Half Marathon • Gig Harbor, WA

Run in a place that’s framed by the majestic peaks of Mount Rainier and the Cascades off in the distance, this race is a tribute to the fallen as well as a benefit for those returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, dealing with the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder.

September • Race info & signup >>

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5) Chickamauga Battlefield Half Marathon • Fort Oglethorpe, GA

Run along paved roads and trails, this race features ample views of the roughly 1,400 memorials, cannons and monuments that commemorate the Battle of Chickamauga, the bloodiest two-day battle of the Civil War, which took the lives of nearly 4,000 Confederate and Union soldiers in September 1863.

November • Race info & signup >>

6) Freedom’s Run Half Marathon • Shepherdstown, WV

From the starting line in downtown Shepherdstown, this race takes runners through Antietam National Battlefield Park, the site of the 1862 Civil War battle that was also the bloodiest one-day battle in U.S. history, where more than 22,000 soldiers were killed or wounded in a single day.

October • Race info & signup >>

7) Gettysburg Blue-Gray Half Marathon • Gettysburg, PA

Runners will get the chance to run through history — and take part in a bit of a Civil War re-enactment of their own — here in this historic small city in southern Pennsylvania, just miles from the historic battlefield where the Union army turned the tide against the South in 1863.

October • Race info & signup >>

8) Navy-Air Force Half Marathon • Washington, DC

More than 6,000 runners cross the finish line each year at this race, which unfolds along the fast, flat streets of D.C. and takes runners past several of the city’s signature sights, including the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the National Mall.

September • Race info & signup >>

9) International Peace Half Marathon • Washington, DC

A memorial race in honor of the 184 people who lost their lives in the September 11, 2001 attacks on the Pentagon as well as the thousands more who perished in New York and Pennsylvania, this race is known for its signature tradition — a bell rung in their honor 184 times before the start of the race.

September • Race info & signup >>

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