Carry Them Forward
October 1 to November 21, 2026
On November 14, SAVE CEO Erich Mische will run the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon carrying the names of people we remember, honor, and love.
The running is one day.
The carrying is every day.
Erich will carry every name given to him for all 26.2 miles at Chickamauga. One week later, those names come home to Minnesota, where SAVE gathers in Bloomington for International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day. The marathon is a moving memorial. The gathering on November 21 is where it belongs.
Every gift supports SAVE’s work: education and training, advocacy, lethal means safety, and support for people who have lost someone to suicide.
I will carry these names for 26.2 miles. The people who love them carry them every day.
– Erich Mische, CEO, SAVE
How it works
We carry every name we are given. We share a name, photo, or story publicly only with the family’s permission, and every story centers on the person’s life.
Starting October 1
You dedicate a name.
Choose a tenth of a mile, one of Erich’s training miles, or a full Memorial Mile, in memory or in honor of someone.
Erich carries it.
Every name goes with him for all 26.2 miles of the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon. The final two tenths of a mile are already spoken for. They belong to Erich’s friend Alan, who died by suicide when he was 16, 47 years ago.
The names come home.
The campaign closes at SAVE’s Survivors of Suicide Loss Day gathering in Bloomington, one week after the marathon.
Donations are being matched!
Thanks to the generosity of the Tosa Foundation, every donation is doubled. Your $10 becomes $20, helping SAVE prevent suicide through education and training, advocacy, lethal means safety, and support for people who have lost someone to suicide. Just $20 covers the technology costs that allow SAVE to offer One Step Ahead training free to more than 60 people.
Ways you can help Carry Them Forward
Every gift goes to SAVE’s work, and every dedication is carried on November 14.
Dedicate a name
One tenth of a mile
Dedicate 0.1 mile in memory or in honor of someone. Their name goes with Erich for every step of the marathon.
Training mile
Dedicate one of Erich’s October or November training miles and be part of the journey before race day.
Memorial mile
Dedicate one full marathon mile to one person. With the family’s permission, SAVE will share their name, photo, and story as part of the campaign. A family or friend can captain a mile and invite others to fund it together.
Support the run
26.2 Supporter
Ten dollars for every mile of the marathon, with recognition as a campaign supporter.
Half Marathon Partner
A leadership gift for the half marathon distance and the hope carried through every step.
26.2 Partner
A major gift from an individual, family, or business, tied to the full marathon distance and the entire campaign.
Memorial Miles: 26 miles. 26 lives.
Each Memorial Mile carries one person. When a family chooses to share, this is where their story will live: who they were, what they loved, how they are remembered. Choose an open mile below to dedicate it. Memorial Mile stories will appear here as families choose to share them.
One marathon. Hundreds of names. One purpose.
Help turn 26.2 miles into remembrance, connection, and hope.