Saturday 9/7/13

Freedom 5k and Heroes Mile
Registration begins at 630am, opening ceremonies are at 730am.

(The gym will be closed for all adult classes today, CrossFit Kids will run as scheduled.)

When Chris approached me about writing a short message to all of you to describe the importance of the Freedom 5k to me I thought “no problem.” But as I sat down to put my feelings into words I realized how incredibly difficult it is for me to truly express the meaning of September 11th to me.

As a Cheyenne Firefighter I feel a close connection to the events that occurred at the World Trade Center that day. 343. That’s the number of brother’s the fire service lost that day. 343 brave men who ran into buildings while everyone else ran out. 343 families left behind and 343 names that should never be forgotten. That is why I believe events like the Freedom 5k are so important. As the days and months and years go by it can be very easy to forget. But it is up to us as a nation to ensure that never happens, we must always honor these courageous individuals at any chance we get.

I am also a member of the Wyoming Air National Guard and through my service I have seen first hand young men and women pay the ultimate price for their country. 9/11 may only be one day, but still to this day those events have led to thousands of our nations finest laying down their lives. We must also honor them and those who still serve.

So while it may seem like just another chance to go for a run or raise some money it is much more than that. It is a chance to show respect to some of the bravest men and women of our or any generation. To show gratitude to those small few who answered the call so that we can continue to enjoy the lives that we do. I hope to see all of you out there tomorrow and thank you for your support of this event.

Thank You
Ryan

Written by:
Just Paleo