Published Jul 1, 2026, 1:57 PM EDT
The eight-member relay team from around the U.S. include multiple military service members.
Henry Knox led a 300-mile expedition during the winter of 1775, transporting 59 cannons from Fort Ticonderoga to Cambridge while crossing snow, frozen rivers and mountainous terrain. The successful delivery of that artillery helped force the British evacuation of Boston and marked the Continental Army’s first major victory, ultimately paving the way for freedom and the origins of a new nation. Roughly 250 years later, eight runners from across the United States—including two current military service members (Marine Corps, Navy) and one veteran (Army)—are doing their best reenactment. In honor of the nation's founding and to those who serve it today, the relay group hits the pavement on July 2 as part of a 325-mile ultra relay along the historic Henry Knox Trail—from Fort Ticonderoga, New York, to Harvard Square in Boston, Mass. They will run day and night through historic small towns and the roads that helped shape the birth of the United States, concluding their endeavor Saturday, July 4, just in time to celebrate their achievements and the country's anniversary. "We have two active-duty military and one veteran," James Doyle, one of the runners hailing from Chicago, told Military.com. "Although I didn't serve, this event is still personal to me. My father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle and many other friends and family members have served our country, so supporting service members and veterans is something that means a lot to me. "Even though I didn't serve myself, this run is definitely a way that I can get back to our nation's veterans and military families, and allows me to honor the generations of service members in my own family, while supporting those who sacrifice for all of us."
