Jogger honors fallen troops

A massage therapist jogging a mile for every American soldier killed in the Iraq war passed through the Palouse region over the weekend.

Mike Erhert is jogging 4,300 miles across the country, at up to 30 miles a day, for the American Massage Therapy Association. He spent May 14 and 15 in Pullman and Colfax.

At every mile on the highway, he places a small flag with a soldier’s name.

A massage therapist and physical therapist assistant at Whitman hospital gave him a free massage on Saturday.

Chief clinical officer Danise Fowler said the therapists were honored to work on Erhert, who is himself a licensed massage therapist.

“He hasn’t had a blister yet,” said Wally Thrall, Erhert’s manager.

Erhert is also an army veteran and postal clerk from Driggs, Idaho. Erhert’s run began in the Pacific Northwest and will end in the Northeast region of the U.S.

America’s war with Iraq is in its seventh year, with 4,300 fatalities.

This is just one of several athletic feats for Erhert. In 2006, he ran a 250-mile Trans-Himalayan run in Nepal.