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Glorious run

Trevor Lloyd will be one of over 10,000 Americans to help bring the United States flag across the country through the Old Glory Relay event.

Lloyd, a graduate of Fort Dodge Senior High who now lives in Louisiana as a professional golf instructor, joined his local chapter of Team RWB and took part in the relay two years ago there in his new home state.

Through the event, team members are able to connect with veterans through exercise, which is one of the main goals of Team RWB, Lloyd said.

“I run every week as part of a group that is composed of retired firefighters, police officers and military personnel,” he added. “(Old Glory Relay) is very emotional running because we are carrying the flag through towns and cities. Seeing people show support for the cause and the flag is pretty special.”

The flag began its journey in Boston on September 11, going through such places as The Bronx, the 9-11 Memorial, Pittsburgh, Detroit and Chicago before hitting the Minnesota/Iowa border earlier this month.

Stops in Rown, Des Moines and Anita were used for the three days here in Iowa before the flag headed to Omaha. The relay will conclude on November 11 in California on Veterans Day at the OGR Retreat in San Diego having crossed almost 4,300 miles.

“It’s difficult with a lot of miles,” Lloyd said of the stretch. “We went from Clarion to Des Moines and I biked five miles and ran another four. The Des Moines-to-Anita leg was nine running and four biking, with my sister, Whitney, joining me.”

The motto for Team RWB is “to enrich the lives of America’s veterans by connecting them to their community through physical and social activity.” That’s a message that struck home with Lloyd.

“Meeting the people involved in the relay, that’s been a memorable part to this whole experience,” he said. “Running through and around local monuments and parks, connecting with the state troopers that escort us and all of the local VFW and veteran outlets has also made it a very rewarding experience.”

This marks the fifth annual event hosted by Team RWB (Red, White and Blue), which is a Florida nonprofit. A total of 62 different teams will help this year, as the flag goes through 24 states.

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