>> lance corporal ryan attel, killed in iraq in 2004. >> what were those runs like for you? >> they were greatly impactful. training through the marathon, you have long -- early mornings that you need to wake up, and i knew that i was training to -- for something bigger than myself. i was tlaniraining to honor his service and sacrifice and the service and sacrifice of so many others. >> so your goal is to get hundreds of volunteers? >> we are hoping to get 300 volunteers on the wear blue mile, which is mile 12 of the course at haines point and each will hold flag bearing the name of a fallen service member. >> mark, every year washington sort of braces for this. i know it is a big undertaking for you, but it is such a huge event. it is so meaningful, so impactful. what's the experience like for you? >> i see some unique scenes on event day just from being in the position of the organizer, watching over the start line as the runners arrive from the darkest moments in the morning until those frantic few moments before the event starts where they're running to get into position