race day

March for the Fallen joins Step to Remember for 2026

Thank you for bearing with us as we searched out the right location after the wildfires ravaged Riverside State Park and surrounding areas.

We feel like we’ve found a great fit, and we’re excited to share that March for the Fallen will partner with Step to Remember, a 9/11 commemorative event honoring first responders and their families. In light of the recent wildfires, with military members and first responders working side by side, it feels like a great alignment of missions. Plus, they do all the same stuff and more at the finish line!

So here are the details: 

The combined event will take place outside at Hop Mountain Taproom & Grill in Mead, WA. 

The entire parking lot gets fenced off and in addition to the 9/11 Memorial Stair Stepper Challenge (110 flights) you can also sign up for, there will be live music, a climbing wall, kid zone, bouncy castle, face painting, raffle and silent auction. We'll also have the same great BBQ, beer garden, Franz Grilled Cheese, Kona Ice snow cones, outdoor games, live music, SWAT vehicles, the Sheriff’s helicopter and more. 

In short, it’s going to be great! 

What this means:

The essence of March for the Fallen - to honor and remember our Fallen Heroes - remains. All the Fallen Hero banners will be posted along a route we’ll create at the Mead Airport, adjacent to Hop Mountain. We hope, as always, people will come to see the banners, do the ruck (run or walk) and then stay for the camaraderie.

P.S. The Mead Airport owners are dog lovers too -- leashed, well-behaved dogs are welcome! 

Here’s how it will look:

Opening Ceremony at 8:45am 
9:11am Start

Participants will follow the path to the course setup at Mead Airport. Fallen Hero banners will be out, water stations will be up, and honor and remembrance will be the goal.

What will change:

Location – please don’t go to Seven Mile

Due to the change in location and course, there will be no timer this year.

The course will be set up on an open field within the boundaries of the Mead Airport. The surface is uneven and rutted in some places. If you were planning to run it, it would be more like a trail run.

No Discover Pass needed! 

What you need to do:

Nothing, we hope! Except change the location in your GPS. :-)

However, if you decide to cancel and get a refund, we understand. If you need any help with that, just let us know.

We will be sending/sharing/posting more information about packet pickup, the course and what to expect in the next couple of weeks.

Questions?

Just hit reply or reach out to info@marchforthefallen.com or Keirsten at (509) 994-5613

In light of what Spokane is experiencing, we think the fact that Step to Remember is in its 5th year, March for the Fallen its 13th, and the Mead Airport recognizing its 100th birthday this year, our ability to come together and work out a very different but exciting combined event sure says a lot for Spokane’s resilience. This unanticipated turn of events, as we mark 25 years since the unanticipated events of September 11th, are just what community, honor and remembrance are all about. 

Forged by Fires, Aligned by Mission 

Hope to see you on September 12th!