Mustang teacher runs to honor, remember brother
SEMINOLE — When Krysten Isenhower turned 27 in January, she reached an age that her older brother never saw. Army Sgt. Bret D. Isenhower was killed in Afghanistan on Sept. 9, 2011, when his team was attacked by small-armed forces. He was 26.
Bret was like the father Krysten, who is six years younger, never knew. Her father, which she shared with her brother Bret, was never in the picture, she said. Her parents split up when she was 2, and she saw him only a few times since.
“Once Bret joined the Army, he got his life together and realized ‘I have a little sister and she needs me,’” Isenhower said. “He was there for me, every prom, recital, holiday and birthday; our January birthdays are 15 days apart.”
Now, Krysten is there for her younger brother and for Bret, keeping Bret’s memory alive through marathons and half-marathons, and an annual race in their hometown of Seminole.
The 5th Annual Sgt. Bret D. Isenhower Memorial 5K and onemile fun run will start at 8 a.m. Saturday at 401 N Main.
A third-grade teacher at Mustang Public Schools, Isenhower ran track and crosscountry at Seminole High School, before earning her degree at East Central University. She believes she’s the only surviving sibling awarded a Folds of Honor Scholarship, which typically goes to spouses and children of fallen soldiers.
Isenhower has been running in her brother’s honor since 2012.
“Running is my way to get out my emotions and clear my head of experiences that few others understand,” she said.
Isenhower set her personal record for a marathon — 4 hours, 21 minutes — at last month’s Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, which was her fifth marathon to complete, following marathons in Disney World, Houston, Seattle and D.C., and half-marathons in San Diego, here and elsewhere. Some of her expenses have been offset as a Gold Star Family Member with fallen military family members.
All proceeds from Saturday’s race will benefit the Sgt. Bret D. Isenhower Scholarship Fund at Seminole High School. Scholarships — six, $500 awards have been bestowed thus far — are presented to graduates going into fields of service, including the military, education, health care and “any other field that benefits the community,” Isenhower said.
Along with serving his country, Bret Isenhower served as a volunteer firefighter and as a 911 dispatcher. Two weeks before his death, he saved a friend by applying a tourniquet on him.
“This race is to remember the sacrifice that Bret made, along with so many others soldiers who have given their lives for our freedoms,” Isenhower said. “It’s also a way to ensure Bret’s service is never forgotten,” she said.