Runners World

It’s her mantra: Run for John, run for me, just one more step. For Lisa Hallett, whether solo in a marathon or with her kids in their mammoth, triple-wide jogging stroller during training, running is how she deals with the pain, the loss, and the memory.

“It’s really hard to do day-to-day things—taking my kids to preschool and taking care of the house,” says Hallett, a 29-year-old full-time mom. “On most days, if nothing else, I can say I ran. On some days all I can do is get to the end of the block and cry. But on other days I hit the ground and I can say, ‘I ran 20 miles this morning.’”

Her husband, Capt. John Hallett, and three fellow Army soldiers died in Afghanistan on August 25, 2009, when an improvised explosive device caused their vehicle to flip and burst into flames. With a 3-week-old baby girl, Heidi, and two toddler sons, Jackson and Bryce, suddenly relying on her alone, Hallett found solace in the pavement.

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Runners World

Stephanie Geraghty needed a running partner. One who wouldn’t mind that her pace was slowed by the 50-plus pounds of cargo she pushed in a double stroller. One who wouldn’t scoff at the occasional sippy cup refill stop or the inevitable passenger meltdown.

It was fall 2009 when Geraghty, a lifelong runner, moved to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. Her husband would soon be deployed to Afghanistan while she settled in to yet another new locale with her two young sons. It was her third move in five years.

“I was going to run either way—I’m a runner, that’s what I do,” says Geraghty, 33. “But I also needed friends. It just seemed to make sense that those friends be runners.”

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