Hosted by the Army West Point Marathon team on March 17, the 2024 Fallen Comrades Half Marathon at West Point saw approximately 700 participants conquer a challenging 13.1-mile course in remembrance of 13 fallen West Point graduates.
The annual event, now in its eighth year, featured a combination of run and ruck divisions, along with a one-mile Kids Run, aiming to promote physical fitness while commemorating those West Point graduates who made the ultimate sacrifice during Vietnam or the Global War on Terrorism. At each mile marker along the route stood easels bearing poignant descriptions of the fallen graduates, underscoring the solemn purpose of the event.
Before the start of the race, COL (R) Jeanette McMahon ’83, a Gold Star widow to her late husband, LTC Michael McMahon ’85, a 2024 half marathon honoree, delivered an inspiring opening message to the runners before the start of the race.
“We were honored by the presence of family members and friends of all the 2024 fallen honorees,” said COL Brandon Thompson ’01, Fallen Comrades Half Marathon officer in charge.
The graduates who were honored were McMahon, Hailey Hodsden ’21, Sean Jacobs ’10, William Little ’68, Michael Nathe ’67, Robert Seidel III ’04, Andrew Pedersen-Keel ’06, Douglas A. DiCenzo ’99, Douglas Gray III ’67, Ian Weikel ’97, John Kelly ’67, James Walton ’89, and Francis Galligan Jr. ’66.
Cadets from the Royal Military College of Canada, Army ROTC cadets from Siena College, Lehigh University, Lafayette College, Penn State University, Rutgers University, the University of Albany, and members of the West Point community and surrounding area joined the West Point cadets in participating in the run or ruck.
“Overall, the 2024 Fallen Comrades Run provided a great opportunity for the greater West Point community to run and ruck march to remember the sacrifice made by so many of our service members,” Thompson said.
During the run, the top three finishers were Army Marathon team members (with their run times): CDT Jack Mantell ’27 (1:18:38), CDT Matthew Buck ’26 (1:19:13) and CDT Mark Amori ’26 (1:19:43).
There are nearly 120 cadet clubs at West Point including athletic, recreational, academic, religious, hobby, and diversity clubs – something for virtually every interest, made possible by donors supporting the Margin of Excellence.
Excerpt and image taken from https://www.westpoint.edu.
