An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Running Strong: Marathon runner delivers motivational speech at base school

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Luis Loza Gutierrez
  • 319th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE --  Motivational speaker and avid marathon runner Kurt Philion visited Nathan Twining Middle School here March 25 to share the story of how he began running and why he runs today.

"Kurt doesn't just run, said Dr. May Koopman, Twining Middle School principal during the introduction. "He runs carrying a three by five-foot American flag during each event to remember his friend, a fallen soldier, Corey Rystad."

Approximately 200 students, family and faculty members attending the event listened to Philion explain how he began running in marathons and races.

Philion said his sister asked him to run a marathon in January 2005 to memorialize their cousin's husband, a service member who had passed away. He said that he was reluctant to run in the first place, but that his sister's positive attitude and persistence inspired him to do so.

"The thing about running a marathon is you end up wanting more after you do the first one. Runners understand what I mean when I say that," said Philion.

He said that while running a marathon is tough, "it's not as tough as losing a friend," which is exactly what happened in December 2006. Sgt. Corey Rystad, a buddy from his days living in Red Lake Falls, Minn., was on a patrol mission near Fallujah, Iraq, when he was killed after an improvised explosive device detonated.

"He wasn't my best friend, but he treated me like he was," Philion said about Rystad.

"He was the first kid I ever met that had a 10-year plan...He was just 29 days away from reaching his twenty-first birthday," Philion said in a trembling voice while holding back tears.

Philion told those gathered at Twining about the importance of not taking life for granted and appreciating our communities and loved ones.

He talked about achieving individual goals through hard work, self-discipline and determination, and thanked those who attended his presentation at Twining.

And he told the audience the impact of his friend's death and why he runs each race with a picture of his friend on his T-shirt during each race: "Corey's loss has strengthened me more than I could ever imagine."

Philion was treated to a standing ovation as he walked away from the podium with tears running down his face.

"Mr. Philion's provided us with great story about resiliency. It's one that I'm sure many of the students here appreciated, said Koopman.