Run. Honor. Remember. That's the motto of the group wear blue: run to remember, and that's exactly what many runners did Memorial Day at PowderWorks Park in DuPont. 

Families, soldiers and community members gathered at 9 a.m. Monday morning to pay respect to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. The mood was sobering but uplifting, and participants kept their friends' and loved ones' names and spirits alive as they all ran toward a common goal.

Lisa Hallett began wear blue: run to remember after she lost her husband during a deployment to Afghanistan in 2009. She began running as an outlet for her grief, and soon others joined her. They began meeting every Saturday morning, running in honor of specific soldiers that had been killed.  Wear blue eventually gained traction with the military community and now has chapters nationwide.  Its goal is to act as a support network, serve as a living memorial and bridge a gap between the military and civilian communities. It offers a way to heal while remembering those who have sacrificed and the loved ones they left behind.

This Memorial Day, the group's goal was to honor those who have sacrificed their lives by reaching more than 10,000 runners in blue.  With more than 8,500 runners registered online, and what appeared to be at least a thousand people showing up in person, I have no doubt that they reached their goal.

"On Memorial Day, we've committed these miles and stand ten thousand strong, not just to remember, but to show each other that we remember," Hallett said. "To show our Gold Star families that their loved ones are not forgotten and that they themselves are not left behind."

Even though Memorial Day is a national holiday, every day is a memorial for the friends and families of the fallen.  When asked what sets the Memorial Day run apart from the group's weekly Saturday runs, Hallett replied, "Nothing. We are a living memorial every Saturday morning. As an organization, we stand for three tenets: for the fallen, for the fighting, for the families. Military life carries great challenges.  Wear blue serves as a conduit to support those actively serving, the families left behind, the families of fallen servicemembers, all while honoring the fallen."  

The group wear blue: run to remember meets every Saturday morning at PowderWorks Park in DuPont. For more information, visit www.wearblutoremember.org.