By Eric Bartelt, United States Military Academy at West Point

Participants ran and rucked along the roads of West Point, pushing their physical limits while honoring the memory of fallen U.S. Military Academy graduates.

The Army West Point Cadet Marathon Team hosted the 2026 Fallen Comrades Half Marathon on March 22 at West Point, where approximately 800 participants completed the challenging 13.1-mile course in remembrance of 13 fallen West Point graduates.

Now in its 10th year, the annual event featured a combination of run and ruck divisions, along with a one-mile Kids Run. At each mile marker along the route, easels stood bearing the descriptions of 13 honored fallen graduates, underscoring the purpose of the half marathon in commemorating the graduates who made the ultimate sacrifice during Vietnam and the Global War on Terrorism.

Prior to the race, Class of 2026 Cadet Kathryn Scales, the cadet in charge of the half marathon, welcomed the runners and ruckers while reminding everyone of the meaning behind the morning race.

“This race is dedicated to honoring our fallen old grads,” Scales stated. “As you move through the course today, remember that each mile is run in recognition of their service and sacrifice.”

Scales then introduced guest speaker Gail Dwyer, the mother of fallen USMA 2009 graduate, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stephen Dwyer Jr., with the poignant words, “[Dwyer’s] presence here today is a powerful reminder of the sacrifice behind this event and the families who carry that legacy forward.”

Dwyer began her speech by mentioning a fellow graduate family member, Kim Britten, who was in attendance for her dad, Capt. Lawrence A. Britten, USMA Class of 1963. Britten and her son, Class of 2026 Cadet Dylan Wade, ran in honor of their father and grandfather.

Dwyer spoke on how important this was for all the families and that they were “very grateful” to the marathon team for honoring them and the attendees for paying their respects.

Her son was killed in a training accident in 2023 with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. Despite his intense job, she described him as a very easygoing man.

Stephen was someone who embraced the Hawaiian expressions of “Shaka,” a hand gesture of friendship, and the word “Mahalo,” meaning thank you. However, used together it creates a potent expression of gratitude.

“He lived his life every day so fully with such purpose, so grateful for every day,” Dwyer said. “He became more grateful after graduating from West Point. Every day he felt like he needed to live his life gratefully for those who could not.”

Using Stephen’s motto, Dwyer stated, “Never quit, never give up.” She talked about his experience playing rugby at West Point where he had that “never quit, never give up” attitude while playing with the brothers he loved.

“If he had a goal, he set his mind to it and accomplished that goal,” she explained. “He tried to be the very best he could be.”

She challenged all the participants to give their best while offering the Shaka gesture at mile marker 13, which was Stephen’s mile, and run with purpose through the finish line for all the fallen graduates.

She ended her speech by telling everyone to live every day with purpose much like Stephen.

“Let’s do it for Steve and for all the fallen comrades that we’re honoring today,” she concluded. “I won’t quit, I won’t give up because little Steve would expect nothing less from his Old Grad Mom.”

In addition to Dwyer and Britten, the other graduates honored along the course were Capt. James Chaffin III (USMA Class of 2009), 1st Lt. Timothy Steele (USMA ‘09), 1st Lt. Daniel Hyde (USMA ‘07), 1st Lt. Tyler Parten (USMA ‘07), Capt. William Black (USMA ‘64), 1st Lt. Garrison Avery (USMA ‘04), 1st Lt. Timothy Cunningham (USMA ‘06), Lt. Col. Timothy Brooks (USMA ‘89), 1st Lt. Stephen Prasnicki (USMA ‘10), Capt. Andrew Ross (USMA ’11), and 1st Lt. Phillip Neel (USMA ’05).

Among those joining the West Point cadets who participated in the ruck and run were cadets from the Royal Military College of Canada and Army ROTC cadets from Norwich University, Bucknell University, University of New Haven, Cornell and Rutgers, and members of the West Point community and surrounding area.

During the run, the top three finishers were U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School (USMAPS) Cadet Candidate Issaiah McCorvey (1:13.44), Class of 2027 Cadet and USMA Marathon Team member Luke Demeritt (1:17:00), and 41-year-old John Pozo (1:17:12).

Demeritt said he was proud of his second-place finish but recognized areas for improvement as he prepares for an upcoming marathon.

“It was a mix of being proud of the result and knowing there’s work that needs to be done,” Demeritt stated. “As the race went on, I really worked on staying mentally positive and tough while trying to hold my position.”

Demeritt said the race served as a checkpoint as he prepares for the Hudson Valley Marathon in May. “I just need to be more consistent over the next few weeks,” he explained. “With about a month to go, I definitely feel motivated to work hard to lock in my marathon goal pace and get my mileage back up to be strong come race day on May 3.”

The top three female runners on the day were USMAPS Cadet Candidate Stephanie Grden (1:32:26), 32-year-old Micaela Boles (1:32:39), and Class of 2029 Cadet and USMA Marathon Team member Samantha Wierschke (1:35:02).

Wierschke was excited about her finishing time as she described crossing the line with a “smile on my face.”

“I knew I had run a really good race,” she said. “Compared to our other races this race was much more challenging, yet I finished only 17 seconds short of my personal record.”

The top three ruckers on the day were Class of 2029 Cadet Matthew Gunn (2:00:22), Class of 2028 Cadet Barbara Forgues (2:15:30), and Ryan Donnelly (2:16:26).

As for the overall significance of the race to those who ran it, Demeritt said it was his first race in a year, and it was a opportunity to put on the Army West Point Marathon Team singlet again. As he passed each mile marker and saw the names, “It was a constant reminder of what that uniform represents and who we’re running for,” Demeritt said.

Wierschke said running this half marathon was inspiring, especially since everyone who ran it has a different reason for being there and “pushing themselves to their limits.” But, for her, one of the biggest inspirations was Gail Dwyer’s speech before the race.

“It made me reflect on the meaning and importance of the event,” Wierschke said. “Seeing the pictures at each mile reminded me of those who gave everything they had for the betterment of this country. It serves as a reminder to push myself a little harder because the job we’ve signed up for will accept nothing less than our best.”