Run to honor fallen heroes returns to Lodi
LODI — A Lockeford couple will be joined by friends and family near the intersection of Stockton Street and East Kettleman Lane on Oct. 12 to honor their late son.
Kyle Coumas, 22, will be one of 773 men and woman to be honored as part of the 8th Annual California Run for the Fallen.
The event, organized by California Gold Star Families and the Travis Air Force Base Maintenance Group Top III, is a threeday long run to remember the state's military service members who have been killed in operations after 9/11.
Coumas was an Amy Specialist killed in action on Oct. 21, 2009 in Afghanistan's Kandahar province during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Lori Coumas said this year’s event will be a milestone for Kyle’s friends and family, given it has been a decade since his death.
“The pain of losing him isn’t as raw as it was in the early days,” she said. “We still think about him every day, and at times it’s hard to believe that 10 years has gone by. In some ways, with the passage of time the pain has lessened. But you also look back with resent because time shouldn’t have passed that fast.”
She said it is heartwarming that many of her son’s family and friends continue to join her and husband Greg at a special “Hero Marker” in Lodi for nearly a decade to remember Kyle.
“One of our biggest fears is that our soldiers will be forgotten,” she said. “When the entire run comes through and stops to remember him, it means the world to us. It’s not just for him either, but for all those who gave their lives to serve.”
The first day of the run begins at 3 p.m. on Oct. 11 in Elk Grove, and the California Run for the Fallen Honor team will embark on a 150-mile journey into Byron over the course of three days.
The team consists of active duty service members, medics, retired military, reservists, veterans, Gold Star Families, Warriors Watch Riders, Patriot Guard Riders, community and business leaders.
The run will take the team from Elk Grove to the intersection of Lower Sacramento and East Woodson roads in Collierville.
At each mile the team will place a Hero Marker at one-mile intervals consisting of a flag and biographical card for each fallen service member being honored.
Markers 25-91 will be placed between Collierville and Byron for the run's second day, and Hero Marker 33 will honor Coumas and two other soldiers at the Stockton Street and East Kettleman Lane intersection.
Lori Coumas said the Run Team will present a flag with Kyle’s picture on it, read a short biography about him, perform a special salute and plant the flag in the ground before moving on to the next marker.
Once again, former Lodi Police Department Capt. Chris Jacobson will be running in Kyle’s honor.
Jacobson led the police escort through Lodi when Kyle’s remains were brought home a decade ago for his funeral.
He also ran the 60-to-60 ruck march in 2016 in Kyle’s name. The march was a three-day, 60-mile trek from Harper’s Ferry, Va. to Section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery, There, Jacobson shared Kyle’s story with more than 200 people from around the nation who had lost loved ones to military service.
Jacobson could not be reached for comment about his continued commitment to running in Kyle’s name.
The following day will see the Run Team head out from Collierville and travel south into Woodbridge on Lower Sacramento Road.
Runners then turn east on Turner Road and head into Lodi before turning south on Stockton Street.
The run makes its way to Harney Lane, where runners turn west, then head south on Hutchins Street and continue on as the road becomes West Lane and Airport Way through Stockton.
The first hero Markers along the Saturday course will be located just south of Lange Twins Winery on Jahant Road, followed by markers at the Peltier, Acampo and Woodbridge roads intersections.
In Lodi, markers will be placed close to the entrance to Woodlake Estates near Lower Sacramento and Turner roads; and then at the Turner Road and Lakewood Drive.
On Stockton Street, markers will be located just south of Turner Road, and the intersections at Lodi Avenue, Kettleman and Harney lanes.
As runners leave Lodi, the markers will be located along West Lane just north of Mohr-Fry Ranches; just south of Armstrong Road; in front of the Home Church; and at the Eight Mile Road intersection.
After leaving Lodi, the course continues on to Durham Ferry Way near Caswell Memorial State Park and across Interstate 5, then north into Tracy on South Chrism Road.
The runners then traverse through Tracy on a northwestern direction along several streets before the final stretch on Byron Road, and ends at the Clifton Court Forebay just south of Byron.
Day three begins on Oct. 13 at 6 a.m. in Byron, and ends at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon that afternoon.
The public will be able to show its own support by participating in the 5K Honor/Walk Run at the cemetery on Oct. 13.
Lori Coumas said this year’s event will be special for another reason: organizers have asked her to give a speech during the closing ceremonies at the cemetery.
“Everyone is welcome to come out, even if they didn’t know Kyle,” she said. “It just helps the families who aren’t able to be there to know that people are coming out and remembering the sacrifices they made.”
For more information about this weekend's event, visit