Starting September 12, 2026, one American flag will travel by foot from New York City to Washington, D.C. — 250 miles in five days, carried by hand the entire way. The effort, called One Flag Forward, was announced jointly by wear blue: run to remember and Team Red, White & Blue, two of the country's most active veteran-connected running communities.
Fifty Miles a Day, All the Way to D.C.
The relay covers roughly 50 miles a day, with the flag reaching the nation's capital on September 16. It's being carried by Gold Star spouse Lisa Hallett, co-founder and CEO of wear blue: run to remember, alongside CSM (Ret.) Lee Yoneyama and Col. (Ret.) Michael "Sully" Sullivan of Team RWB, joined along the route by service members, veterans, and Gold Star and surviving families. USAA is presenting the event.
Timed to Two Anniversaries
The date isn't random. September 2026 marks both the 25th anniversary of September 11 and the 250th anniversary of the United States. Organizers have been explicit that this isn't framed as a race or a memorial march — in their own words, shared on Team RWB's social channels, "it's a mission" — built to honor the 1.3 million Americans who have died in service to the country.
Both wear blue: run to remember and Team RWB have run tribute relays before, including Team RWB's own long-distance flag efforts over the years, but pairing the two organizations for a single 250-mile carry between two of the country's most symbolic cities raises the scale considerably. It also puts the moment squarely in the hands of the people who know that weight best: Gold Star family members and veterans who carry the memory of the fallen well beyond any single event.
A Community That Runs Toward Each Other
wear blue: run to remember and Team RWB have built their organizations around exactly this kind of shared movement: showing up, mile after mile, for people who've served and the families they've left behind. Both groups have a long track record of long-distance tribute relays, and this one leans into that history at a larger scale — turning a physical challenge into a moving act of remembrance that anyone following along can be part of, even from a distance.
It's the same spirit behind every race on the OWF calendar — community built through shoulder-to-shoulder miles, not just a finish line. If you're a veteran, active-duty service member, or first responder looking for your own way to get moving alongside people who understand the mission, see if you're eligible for a free race entry through Operation WarriorFit.