Spearfish woman runs 450 miles across South Dakota to honor fallen service members

SPEARFISH, S.D. — For 25 days in May, Mai Richards carried an American flag across South Dakota, running as many as 22 miles a day from Sioux Falls to Sturgis in honor of the men and women who gave their lives in military service. The 450-mile journey, called Miles of Honor, tested Richards physically and emotionally. She ran through strong prairie winds, freezing rain, exhaustion and moments of doubt, all while carrying an 8-foot flagpole and balancing the demands of completing her master's degree in business administration. But the reason she kept going was never about how far she could run. It was about the people she was running for and a belief that has shaped much of her life: love and sacrifice go hand in hand. For Richards, that connection is personal. Born in Vietnam, she and her twin sister experienced severe poverty and abuse before their mother gave them up for adoption so they could have a safer life.

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