Will you take the challenge? Blanchard's Log-Carrying Memorial Day Run honors heroes

An annual Memorial Day run brings the community of Blanchard together to honor military veterans.

The event started more than a decade ago and has grown each year.

Army Veteran Adam Wayland and his friend Zack McCloud ran together on Memorial Day 11 years ago. They each carried a log to represent the sacrifice made by military veterans. To their surprise, the run caught on.

Instead of spending the day at the lake or on vacation.

“We were wanting to do something different and tough,” said Adam Wayland, Army veteran.

A group of Blanchard residents woke up early on Memorial Day to hit the pavement, with each stride testing their strength and endurance.

Adam Wayland, one of the founders of the run discusses the importance of the run and how it began:

“You could be in the best shape, and then you put a 10-foot, 200-pound log on and it changes everything,” said Zack, McCloud, run organizer.

McCloud and Wayland recruited friends, family, and high school students to take the challenge.

“I ran today because I have a lot of veterans in my family,” said Cotton Cosby, a high school student. “It’s just that at least I could do this to honor them and my family.”

Growing from two runners to six, into a crowd requiring law enforcement escorts.

“Today we had 60,” said Wayland. “It’s just kind of grown from word of mouth.”

It's that spirit that draws crowds to cheer on the runners. Tawnya Reed came to support her husband and son.

“Caleb started running in high school and has been doing it every year since,” said Tawnya Reed, Blanchard resident. “They’re running to support Memorial Day and veterans.”

So, the younger generations never forget the meaning of the day.

“We want to remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, and a lot of it is to honor them,” said McCloud. “They gave up those freedoms and those joys for us.”

The run organizers did not plan this ,but part of the five-mile route is on Veterans Memorial Highway.

The organizers have a military veteran speak to the participants and their families after each run. This year they heard from a Vietnam-Era veteran.