From 9/11 Survivor to Turkey Trot Grand Marshal

Alexandria native and Pentagon 9/11 survivor will dedicate five Thanksgiving morning miles to five lives lost in the attacks.

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Thousands of runners will fill the streets of Del Ray this Thanksgiving, but one will be running with 2,977 names on her mind.

U.S. Air Force Capt. Hanna Born, an Alexandria native who survived the terrorist attack on the Pentagon as a toddler, has been named grand marshal of the 51st annual Alexandria Turkey Trot on Thursday, Nov. 26. After riding in the ceremonial grand marshal car, she plans to join the five-mile race, dedicating each mile to a different person killed on Sept. 11, 2001.

Her bib number? Appropriately, 2,977.

“I know there are so many families who will still have an empty seat at their table this Thanksgiving and it will be very meaningful to dedicate miles to them during the race,” Born said in the announcement of her selection.

A little girl at the Pentagon

Born was not yet three years old on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. She and her baby sister, Heather, were at the Pentagon Child Development Center when American Airlines Flight 77 struck the building. The girls were among the children evacuated to safety and later reunited with their family.

That experience has never been simply a chapter in a history book for Born. As the nation approached the 25th anniversary of the attacks, she began asking how to keep the people behind the staggering death toll from fading into a number.

Her answer was Run to Remember 2,977, a commitment to run a mile for every person lost. She began the project Sept. 11, 2025, alongside members of her squadron at Fort Rucker, Alabama. With each mile, she honors someone by name and, when possible, shares that person’s story through her @runtoremember2977 account.

“I want to make sure people hear their names,” Born said in a U.S. Air Force story about her mission. “Not just the number — the people.”

Her miles have taken her through the Army Ten-Miler, the Marine Corps Marathon, the New York City Marathon, the Tunnel to Towers 5K, and other commemorative events. Some of the most meaningful have been shared with relatives of those who died. In one memorable race photograph, she carries the Flag of Honor, its stripes filled with the names of all 2,977 victims.

A family devoted to service

Today, Born trains military helicopter pilots as an instructor with the 23rd Flying Training Squadron at Fort Rucker. She comes from a family with deep military roots. Her mother, retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Dana H. Born, served for three decades and became the first woman to serve as dean of the faculty at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Her father, retired Marine Lt. Col. Tim Born, served 21 years on active duty.

Her younger sister, Marine 1st Lt. Heather Born, is now serving with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit in Okinawa, Japan. The two sisters are featured in the National September 11 Memorial & Museum exhibit “In Their Honor: 25 Years of 9/11-Inspired Service.”

“We are incredibly honored to welcome Capt. Born back to Alexandria as the grand marshal of the Turkey Trot,” said Del Ray Business Association President Lauren Fisher, calling Born’s service and personal remembrance mission an inspiration to the community.

Five miles, and a chance to give back

The Turkey Trot returns to Del Ray for its 51st year with an expected field of more than 6,000 participants, from competitive runners to families with strollers and dogs. The flat, USATF-certified five-mile course begins and ends at George Washington Middle School.

And the morning’s acts of remembrance will be matched by a Thanksgiving act of neighborliness. Runners and spectators are encouraged to bring two nonperishable food items for ALIVE!, the Alexandria nonprofit working to help neighbors facing food insecurity and other hardships.

For Born, the race will be another five miles toward a much larger finish line, and another five chances to make sure individual lives are remembered.