Runners of all ages

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – Carnations were laid along the All Wars Memorial in honor of the fallen military servicemembers, as well as those serving today May 25, here. The carnations were dropped by participants during the 24th Annual Gate-to-Gate Run. The event is an Eglin tradition dating back to 1985, when now retired Lt. Gen. Gordon Fornell, former Armament Division commander here, proposed a run as a way to keep Airmen on base for Memorial Day due to the rise in injuries and fatalities involving Airmen. Traditionally, the run went from gate to gate but was recently modified for safety reasons. More than 1,950 runners participated in the event ranging from ages eight to 87. Matthew Martin, 26, from Hoover, Ala., was the first to finish with a time of 23:34. 2nd Lt. Ilea Eskildsen, 23, was the first female to finish with a time of 27:24. (U.S. Air Force photo/ Airman Anthony Jennings)