VIDEO/PHOTOS: As the weather warms on Delmarva, runners and walkers are becoming a common sight on local streets. In Milton, however, one runner stands out.
He moves through town in full firefighter gear while carrying an American flag.
Allen Jackson, a former Marine and National Guard member who now serves as a firefighter in Milton, is running miles around town this year to honor the firefighters who died in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
Jackson’s goal is to run 343 miles in 2026, one mile for each of the 343 firefighters killed when the World Trade Center towers collapsed.
“The 343 miles that I’m trying to run comes from the 343 firefighters who lost their lives that day in the Twin Towers,” Jackson said.
For Jackson, the tribute is deeply personal. “It hits deep and heavy,” he said.
Jackson’s runs often take him along streets such as Mulberry Street in Milton. On any given day, he runs between one and three miles while wearing a 20-pound weighted vest designed to simulate the air pack firefighters carry into burning buildings.
WRDE-LD NBC 31 Salisbury
