Sisters Running for a Scholarship

Support Heather & Kathleen in their training & fundraising for the 2014 Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC, on 10/26/14. These two sisters will be running in memory of the six Marines who perished in the Irontail 06 crash. Fundraising will continue up until midnight on race day (10/26) - The proceeds will go towards covering each of their registration fees, with the remainder of the proceeds being donated to the Cpl. Kevin James Reinhard Memorial Scholarship at St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, NJ.

A brief introduction to the Lucky Red Lion Family:
These two young women are not related by blood; rather they are family by choice, their lives brought together by one young man specifically & a Marine Corps family in general. Cpl. Kevin James Reinhard is the brother these two sisters share. Kathleen is the biological sister of Cpl. Kevin J. Reinhard, KIA during combat operations in Afghanistan on 01/19/2012. Heather is Kevin's sister through their Marine Corps family, having served with him in the Lucky Red Lions.
The Red Lions lost 6 outstanding Marines on 01/19/2012 when one of their helicopters - Irontail 06 - crashed in Afghanistan. These six men, and their fellow fallen Red Lion brethren, are whom Heather & Kathleen run in memory of...
Cpt Dan Bartle
Cpt Nate McHone
MSgt Travis Riddick
Cpl Joseph Logan
Cpl Kevin Reinhard
Cpl Jesse Stites

Cpl Jon Faircloth - who perished in a helicopter crash in Hawaii      03/29/2011

Sgt Alex Limjoco - who perished in a motorcycle accident    12/08/2009

A little bit about these lovely ladies:
Kathleen started her running carrier in an effort to lose weight and compete with her Marine brother. The two would set goals for distance as well as speed, in an effort to keep up friendly sibling rivalry despite living in different states and Kevin's deployment status. After her brother's helicopter crashed, killing Reinhard & his 5 fellow crew members, Kathleen began to run in races - in an effort to keep the competition between the two, as well as her brother's memory, alive. To date she has run in: The New Jersey Run For the Fallen's Final Five miles, as well as her brother's mile, 2012 & 2013; The Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon 2013; The Marine Corps Marathon 10K 2013; and The Manasquan, NJ, Turkey Trot 2013.
After running in the Marine Corps Historic Half, Kathleen realized that she could utilize her passion for running as a fundraiser. Proceeds go toward the scholarship the Reinhard family is setting in place at St. Joseph High School, Metuchen, NJ. When Kathleen ran the MCM10K she held her first fundraiser; with a goal of $500 she successfully surpassed her expectations and was able to raise and donate approximately $1200.00 (after gofundme.com fees were applied, approximately $1080.00 was donated).

Heather runs in order to feel each of her six brothers with her. Her Marine brothers are with her in her toughest moments, constantly pushing her to her greatest potential, she pulls strength from their memories to challenge herself with new goals in life. Heather, like Kathleen, runs to lend her legs to those who cannot "“ to those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Heather's passion for life, running, fitness, and education are all symbolic of the strong & independent woman she has become. More importantly, Heather feels that her driving force in life is to live the way her brothers would have wanted to see her; not afraid to set inspiring goals and face them, taking accomplishments with dignity and "failures" with a sense of challenge for a better outcome the next time.
Heather has been running since high school, she uses the sport as a vessel for seeking mental clarity. While in the Marine Corps, Heather ran in a Breast Cancer Awareness 5K, 2011, and a half marathon while deployed in Afghanistan, 2011. She also ran on her college track team in 2013.

The 2014 Marine Corps Marathon will be the first marathon for either of these young women to complete. Two former strangers, made sisters through mutual tragedy, will run 26.2 miles to bring their brothers "“ in a sense - back to life. Neither feels as though they run for themselves. "We run for each other. We run for the ones who are no longer here, so that our legs and our willpower may be given wing by our fallen brothers. We run to feel them run besides us." Through tragedy these two women strive to find a positive outcome, to provide meaning and a sense of continued life to the brothers they lost - by giving hope to others facing similar loss, and by giving hope to one young man (each year) so that he might attend St. Joseph High School [Metuchen, NJ].