by American300 Public Affairs
Hohenfels Germany- With 30,000 runners and over 100,000 family and friends taking part in the annual City of Philadelphia Marathon races on November 17-18th, it’s hard to image one single runner really standing out unless they win. Brian Kline of Mount Laurel, New Jersey has no intention of winning, but he will be noticed as he competes in the 26.2 mile event carrying a very special flag.
As a member of the nonprofit; Team Red White and Blue, Brian Kline is no stranger to running with a flag. He has raced in major marathons like Boston and pounded out thousands of miles carrying a 9/11 Remembrance flag. “I am not a veteran, but I have a tremendous amount of respect for the courage, bravery, and sacrifices that all of our troops make every single day” says Kline, “I am truly honored to race and train with this flag as a member of Team Red White and Blue, bringing together nonveterans and veterans a like to create a sense of community support that can enrich the lives of our veterans.”
On November 8th, Kline’s flag will be carried from start to finish in Germany as part of the 4th annual City of Philadelphia Marathon U.S. Army Garrison Hohenfels First Wave Race. It will then be brought back to United States and handed over to the New Jersey runner, who will pound out the 26.2 miles around the streets of Philadelphia the following week.
“Our organizational mission and that of Team Red White and Blue’s mirror one another, being able to have a flag carried in both races from start to finish is very symbolic” says Robi Powers, the founder of American300 Tours the nonprofit that has worked with Mayor Michael Nutter and City of Philadelphia marathon race director Melanie Johnson, to support the kickoff event in Germany over the past 4 years. “We use a recorded message from the troops at USAG Hohenfels to start the event in Philadelphia and now we’ll have a flag being run in both events by troops and Brian... every year this ‘connectivity event’ draws attention to our troops serving around the world.”
Marathons in America have been supporting troop organized mirror races for years, what makes this event so unique is that Powers, is one of Mayor Nutter’s co-hosts along with Bart Yasso of Runner’s World magazine on race day in Philadelphia. “Mayor Nutter and Melanie Johnson and staff have a very deep appreciation for our citizens who serve, I’m just lucky to have American300 send me over to Germany each year to help connect the dots... and start/finish lines.” says Powers. “It’s going to be a heartfelt moment watching Brian’s flag coming across both finish lines this year.”
For more on American300 Tours visit: www.American300.org
For more on US Army Garrison Hohenfels visit: www.hohenfels.army.mil
Visit the Philadelphia Marathon at: www.philadelphiamarathon.com
For more on Team Red White and Blue visit: www.teamrwb.org
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| Family and MWR Sports and Fitness Manager Chris Cornelison along with Robi Powers - USAG Hohenfels 2011 |
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