From Dave Adlard, by email:

“One life, One flag, One mile.”

Sometimes it is an amazing experience to be involved – even in a small way – with a person and a project bigger than yourself. …

I want to let you know that Mike Ehredt of Driggs, Idaho is well under way on his run across America on Saturday to honor fallen soldiers in Iraq. He will run solo pushing a baby stroller filled with his supplies and camping stuff. His website is www.projectamericarun.com

Anyway, last Wednesday, returning from some errands, I saw Mike running north on Hwy 95, only a few miles from my house, so I quickly changed into running gear, and ran down to the highway and back up the road a mile or so to where he was chugging along.

I introduced myself (and I’d brought cold pink lemonade!) and we started heading north on 95 toward Sandpoint, chatting about mutual friends (he knows all of the adventure racers and ultra-runners, being a top level athlete himself), until we got to the first mile marker – mile 445 – where he handed me a flag with an attached yellow ribbon with the name, rank, hometown and age of a serviceman who had died in Iraq, and I got to insert it in the mile marker post.

After a silent and quick salute, we were off again, and he handed me another flag to carry to the next marker, and the next, for the next five miles, where his host family was waiting to host him for the night.

We said our farewells, and I turned back and ran the 8 miles back home, feeling at once uplifted, daunted and motivated by the enormity of his task:

His plan is to run 30 miles per day – EVERYDAY – taking every 3rd Saturday off (he’ll only run 6 miles or so that day) – for SIX MONTHS!

Dean Karnazes did his very impressive and well-published 50 Marathons in 50 states in 50 days, but can you imagine running a 50k every day for over 180 days in a row, including over such little obstacles as Teton pass and the Front Range in Colorado, just to name a few?

You can follow Mike on 4,551 mile journey from Oregon to Maine through his website: http://www.projectamericarun.com and the “Where’s Mike?” feature, that uses data from his SPOT tracker to show exactly where he is. He also has a great and touching blog attached. Even in my short time with him, I have to tell you that Mike is an amazing person, friend to all and forever encouraging other’s pursuits.

As for his accomplishments, he is an amazing runner finishing the Rocky Mountain Grand Slam in 2008, twice top 150 at Marathon Des Sable (Morocco) and many other nonrunning accomplishments, including hosting several successful adventure races and running events. He has been working humbly on this dream for 3 years.

Some info from Mike on his solo run from his website:

“On May 1st 2010, Mike Ehredt, a retired Postal Clerk and Army Veteran, touched the wheel of his jogger stroller in the Pacific Ocean in Astoria, OR and began an epic 4514 mile journey across the country to Honor and Remember Service Members lost in Iraq. He is currently placing flags that hold a yellow ribbon bearing the Name, Rank, Service, Age and Hometown of those whose dreams and ambitions were taken so quickly from us. The flags are being placed each mile along the roads he is traveling in reverse chronological order by date of death, till the very last flag is placed on the shores of the Atlantic in Rockland, Maine.

This is a personal tribute, a silent memorial for those who have served with dignity and honor and whose sacrifice will never be forgotten.”

Family members and friends helped him label over 700 feet of yellow ribbon, which bear the Name, Rank, Age and Hometown of each Soldier and Marine who died in Iraq. The ribbons are attached to 4375 flags, to be placed each mile along the roadways from Oregon to Maine, with the last flag placed at the water’s edge in Maine.

Along the way Mike will spend each night with a host family, 160 in all. These are people he has never met. Some of them are the families of a deceased service member. All of them have opened their homes to Mike and his mission.

He will also speak with 30 high school and college cross country/track teams, who will all run a few miles with Mike and carry a flag. He wants our next generation of leaders to understand the sacrifices made by those who led before them.

Check out the map on his website (www.projectamericarun.com) and if you live nearby when he passes, I know he would love some company on the roads placing a flag every mile.