When Celina Linde laces up her marathon running shoes in Washington, D.C., later this month, she’ll be carrying more than her water and determination. She’ll be running for her father.
Linde, a nurse at Maricopa’s Exceptional Community Hospital, is one of just 12 runners nationwide selected to represent the nonprofit Wear Blue: Run to Remember in the Marine Corps Marathon happening Sunday. The organization supports families of fallen service members and helps them honor their loved ones through running and remembrance.
“My dad was killed in action in Afghanistan on Dec. 3, 2012,” Linde said. “He was only 41. His name will be on my back during the race. It’s my way of keeping him close.”
Her father, a member of the North Dakota Army National Guard’s 818th Engineer Company, died when his unit was struck by a roadside bomb during a route clearance mission in Afghanistan.
For Linde, 36, the months of training in the Arizona heat have been both grueling and deeply meaningful.
“There are days when I can feel him with me,” she told AmVets Magazine. “Sometimes, when I need a break or a mental reset, I’ll hear a song come on that reminds me of him, or the clouds will shift. It’s like he’s saying, ‘You got this, kiddo.’”
The “Wear Blue” program helps selected runners with travel, lodging and coaching, connecting participants through shared experiences of loss and healing. Each runner honors a fallen service member on race day.
During the marathon, Linde will pass through the “Wear Blue Mile,” a stretch of the course lined with photos of fallen military members and American flags, including one for her father.
“It’s a powerful reminder of why we run,” she said. “It’s not just about finishing a race. It’s about carrying forward their legacy.”
Linde said her journey has also brought unexpected connections. The Exceptional Health chief operating officer, retired Army Col. Bruce McVay, once oversaw military hospitals in Afghanistan. In a recent visit to the Maricopa location, the two discovered that Linde’s father likely passed through one of his facilities.
“It’s such a small world,” Linde said. “It’s like all these pieces are connected.”
The race will be Linde’s first marathon. Until now, her longest run was a 14-kilometer race honoring fallen North Dakota soldiers more than a decade ago.
“There were days I thought, ‘What did I get myself into?’” she said today with a laugh. “But one mile turns into another, and eventually, it gets easier.”
Linde said she hopes her story encourages others to find healing through movement, community and remembrance.
“I was silently making a promise to myself that this year I was going to do something like physically challenging as well as work on healing some of my lingering grief from my dad’s passing,” said Linde.
The Marine Corps Marathon will begin at 7:55 a.m. Sunday near the Pentagon and finish at the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Va. Spectators can watch live coverage and race updates at MarineCorpsMarathon.com.
