A Friendship Born on the Run

How Running and Remembrance Forged an Unbreakable Bond

My name is Mimi, and I am the widow of Sgt. Shawn P. Martin, USMC EOD, who was KIA in Iraq on June 20, 2007. When Shawn died, it felt like a piece of me was gone, too. The years after his death were marked by struggle, and I often questioned if I would ever feel whole again. It wasn’t until 2017—ten years after losing Shawn—that I found a spark of hope in the most unexpected place: running.

At 38 years old, I laced up my sneakers for the first time, searching for a way to quiet the spiraling thoughts and reclaim a sense of focus. I had no grand goals, just small, manageable steps: one mile, a loop around the pond, two miles, four. But as my confidence grew, so did my curiosity about what might be possible.

That’s when my mom found something on Facebook about wear blue: run to remember’s Gold Star Race Program. She knew I’d started running and encouraged me to apply. I was hesitant—after all, my longest run was only four miles. How could I possibly take on a marathon? But to appease her, I submitted my application, not expecting much.

To my surprise—and slight terror—I was accepted into the 2017 Marine Corps Marathon Gold Star Race Program cohort. There I was, never having run even a 5K, training for a full 26.2 miles. I had no idea what I was doing, but when it got hard, I thought about Shawn. I thought about his strength, his determination, and the sacrifices he made for our country. I smiled thinking about how much he hated running, yet I knew he’d be proud of me for taking this on.

Training for the marathon wasn’t easy, but wear blue gave me more than just the tools to complete the race. It gave me community, purpose, and a sense of accomplishment I hadn’t felt in years. And then it gave me something even more life-changing: Kristin Johnson.

Kristin and I were both in the 2017 Marine Corps Marathon cohort, but she wasn’t originally supposed to be. She’d been slated to run a race in Seattle but ended up joining our group due to unexpected circumstances. From the moment we met, we clicked. During training, race weekend, and everything in between, we bonded over our shared experiences, our grief, and our determination to honor our husbands.

Seven years later, Kristin is my best friend and so much more. She’s the person I talk to every day, the one I call with my triumphs and struggles, the one who just gets me. We’ve traveled together, spent countless vacations with our kids, and built a friendship rooted in trust, understanding, and unwavering support. Our husbands died only two months apart, and while their loss brought us unimaginable pain, their memories have brought us together in a way I never thought possible.

This year, Kristin and I are running the half marathon together. It’s not about pace or personal records for us—it’s about keeping a promise to honor our husbands’ memories together. We’ll cross the start and finish lines side by side because that’s what we do for each other, in running and in life.

To anyone in the Gold Star community considering the Gold Star Race Program, my advice is simple: go for it. You don’t need to be an athlete or have a marathon on your bucket list. All you need is a desire to honor someone you love and the willingness to find out what you’re capable of. You might just meet someone who changes your life. I know I did.

Thank you, wear blue, for giving me back so much of what I thought I’d lost—and for introducing me to the best friend I never knew I needed.

-Mimi, A Gold Star Wife and part of your wear blue Family

Continue to read about this unbreakable bond in Kristin’s story.