Run As One: Team RWB Old Glory Ultra Relay Runner Mary Kreis on the Veteran-Led Mission to Make History

Run As One

Team RWB Old Glory Ultra Relay runner

Mary Kreis on the Veteran-led mission to

make history.

This is going to be epic. From May 2nd to 17th, 12 Veterans are uniting to establish a world record for carrying a single

American flag from San Diego, CA to Washington, DC, while raising $1 million for Team Red, White & Blue.

Recently, we at GOVX had the opportunity to sit down with the inspiring Dr. Mary Kreis, a former U.S. Army Major, college professor, mother,

and marathon-tested runner as she prepares to lace up for her leg of what is aiming to be a monumental achievement.

GOVX

Hi Mary, thanks so much for joining us today. Can you tell us how you came to be involved with Team RWB and ultimately the Old Glory Ultra Relay?

MARY KReiS

Absolutely, so I’ve been a proud member of Team Red, White & Blue for about 13 years now. It all started at the Pittsburgh Marathon, when I started noticing all these people in red shirts at the event and got curious. As the race was ending, I decided to dig deeper. I’m an Army Veteran, and I’ve always been patriotic, so I wanted to know what Team RWB was about. What’s with the colors? Why the eagle? That kind of thing.

I did my research, and soon after I linked up with some great leaders from the organization and became inspired to get involved.

GOVX

We talk a lot about how inspirational the American flag is a national symbol. What is your relationship to the flag, and what does it mean to you personally?

MARY KReiS

Shortly before I met the crew at Team RWB, I began carrying the American flag when I raced – which is something I still do today. I’ve ran with the flag at various half marathons, attached it on my bike during a cross-country ride, swam 12.5 miles in Key West with Team RWB carrying it in a kayak ahead of me, and even hiked with it through the Grand Canyon.

I consider myself a patriot, and letting people know that I’m proud to be an American is something I value at my core. Not to mention it also sparks a lot of fascinating conversations.

DAVE

Retired Firefighter – Chief Coffee Roaster

JACOB

Licensed Q Grader – Director of Coffee

GOVX

Speaking of sparks, what sparked you to want to participate in the Old Glory Ultra Relay, and what are your expectations going in?

MARY KReiS

Being involved with an effort built around the flag felt natural for me, right from the start. In fact, we’ve put on a version of this very relay for years now. I participated in the very first one we ever did. Living back in Pittsburgh at the time, I volunteered and worked from 5am to 10pm that night meeting Veterans and mapping out the 200-mile route. It truly was one of the best days of my life. It gives me goosebumps, just thinking about how powerful that experience was.

So, at the end of the day, it’s all about just bringing together like-minded inspired patriots willing to push themselves because they believe in what the symbol for our great country represents. They’re proud to pass the flag from one person to the next, and the sense of community is just so strong. So, my expectations are high, as they are with any Veteran-based event.

GOVX

As an athlete, more specifically a runner with 50+ marathons finished, what does your training look like for this relay?

MARY KReiS

For me, it means running more days a week. I had previously cut back to four days a week of running with some cross training mixed in, now I’m re-teaching my body run almost every day.

The way the relay is formatted, it’s a 12-person team that will be divided into three smaller teams. I’m on Team Red, and each day we’ll run about eight hours each. How those eight hours are dispersed is up to us. I might run three miles, get relieved, and then we’ll rotate in and out as the previous runner rests up in the van.

GOVX

You’re a former U.S. Army Major, what made you want to serve your country and how has your military experience helped you in your athletic pursuits?

MARY KReiS

My initial interest was rooted entirely in patriotism. On another level, I wanted to continue the discipline that I had created for myself in high school. During those formative years, I was a runner, a high-performing student, and eventually the Valedictorian of my school. I had a routine that I abided by, so I was drawn to the military and to structure.

I thrived on instructors chewing me out about push-ups and sit-ups. I wanted to rise to the occasion and prove myself to them – and to myself. I was super HOOAH, and very committed. I went into the medical service corps was stationed at Fort Sam Houston and Fort Bragg on active duty. Eventually, I became a reserve officer and did everything from serving in a postal unit to transportation to civil affairs. The discipline, commitment, and team-oriented approach has aided me in every step of my athletic journey.

GOVX

Since you’ve started running, what’s been your greatest athletic triumph?

MARY KReiS

The simple answer is that I won a 100k race in the pouring rain. That one has always meant a lot to me. Another answer is that I recently learned that I’ll be inducted into my high school’s Hall of Fame, which is such an incredible honor. When I look back, what’s most memorable to me is just pushing my daughter in the running stroller, we had so many adventures together. Today, we proudly run together.

GOVX

How can GOVX members support you on your journey?

MARY KReiS

So, each runner has their own social media account set up currently, where GOVX members can follow on Instagram and support the team. On the Team RWB Old Glory Ultra Relay page, supporters can download our digital trading cards as collectibles which is awesome!

More directly, we have a goal of raising over $1 million dollars for Veterans, and this includes their families as well. By making a donation, GOVX members can help us get close in on our goal.