The Great Locomotive Chase

Hundreds Participate in Run for Wounded Warriors

Saturday, hundreds of racers lined up outside Kennesaw First Baptist Church for the city’s second annual Run for Wounded Warriors.

The 5K event was the third race in the 2011 Kennesaw Grand Prix series, drawing hundreds of participants from the local community. The race also served as a qualifier for Atlanta’s 2012 Peachtree Road Race.

Racers began gearing up for the event before sunup, as the 5K event officially kicked off at 8 under overcast skies. The race was sponsored by the non-profit organization Run for Wounded Warriors, Inc. , with proceeds from the event going towards the Wounded Warrior Project . Local affiliated sponsors included Cobb EMC , Eaton Chiropractic and Operation Boot Camp .

The Wounded Warrior Project was founded in 2002 by John Melia, a veteran wounded in a helicopter crash during the Somalia conflict of 1992, with the intent of raising public awareness for the needs of severely injured service men and women of the United States military.

Last year’s event was proposed by Chattahoochee Technical College student Jonathan Borden, who said he was inspired by a Military Channel program about the Wounded Warrior Project.

“I decided, in this city, there’s not much going on to help our wounded soldiers,” Borden said. “If it were not for them, we wouldn’t be here, we would not have the freedoms we have today. So I felt the need and the want to help out.”

Before the race, Borden recognized several returning veterans in attendance, including racers Christopher Lowe and Bruce Gannaway, a below the knee amputee that ran the 5K using a prosthetic device.

Following a one mile fun run, and prior to the start of the 5K race, city council member and military veteran Tim Killingsworth sang "The Star Spangled Banner." Bronze Medal and Purple Heart recipient Carl Camp, a World War II paratrooper that fought at the Battle of the Bulge in 1944, was recognized before the event and also served as the race’s official starter.

Daniel Bledsoe, a member of the Kennesaw Police Department , finished first overall, with an official time of 16:31. Bledsoe also placed first overall in May’s Swift Cantrell Classic 5K race , posting an official time of 16:21.

On Aug. 20, North Cobb American Legion Post 304 will hold a 5K run that begins on Lodge Road. The next race in the Kennesaw Grand Prix series is the third annual Great Locomotive Chase 5K, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 10 at the downtown train depot.

tourATLANTA: ATLANTApix: The Great Locomotive Chase

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The great locomotive chase, a history of the Andrews railroad raid into Georgia in 1862

The Great Locomotive Chase, The Andrews Raid 1862

The great locomotive chase

The Great Locomotive Chase

The great locomotive chase, more on the Andrews Raid and the first Medal of Honor