Daily Herald Article - July 22, 2008

By Chad Brooks | Daily Herald Staff

A new Barrington area race is giving residents the chance to run with U.S. troops stationed more than 1,500 miles away.

Registration started Monday for the inaugural 9.11 mile Freedom Run, part of this year's Sept. 6 Freedom Festival in Barrington.

As the run is happening in Barrington, servicemen and women stationed at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will be running the same distance simultaneously. More than 200 soldiers are expected to participate.

"It is going to be phenomenal," said Dirk Beveridge, the organizer of both the Freedom Run and Festival. "This will be the first time Guantanamo Bay holds something like this,"

Beveridge got involved with the Guantanamo Bay troops after visiting there during this spring's 75th Joint Civilian Orientation Conference, hosted by the Department of Defense.

The local portion of the Freedom run has two distances, a 9.11 mile run and 5.6 mile run/walk. The course winds its way through Barrington Hills, ending in downtown Barrington at the site of this year's 5th annual Freedom Festival.

Each mile, Beveridge said, will be lined with volunteers helping to promote one of the military's core values, like loyalty, duty and respect.

"It is going to be the most inspirational run in the whole Chicagoland area," Beveridge said, adding veterans will be handing out special military Challenge Coins to everyone who finishes the race. The coins are used within the military to reward performance.

Organized by the Barrington-based nonprofit organization We Do Care, the Freedom Festival is held as a way of letting troops all over the world know people are thinking of them.

"It is our way of showing that we truly support" the troops, Beveridge said.

Besides your typical festival activities, the event will feature military speakers and a chance to meet with representatives from various organizations designed to support the troops.

There will also be a children's tent where kids can write letters and draw pictures for the troops. The festival is scheduled for noon to 10 p.m.

The Freedom Run starts at 9:11 a.m. As a way to support the troops, all race fees are waived for active duty and family members of deployed troops and there's a 50 percent discount for other military members and veterans. For everyone else, there is a $35 fee for the 9.11 mile run and a $30 fee for the 5.6 mile walk/run.

Visit www.we-do-care.org for more information and to register for the run




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