Registration is now open for the REVS 22 Race to End Veteran Suicide, set for November 14 at Ely Square Park in downtown Elyria. The annual event, which offers 22-kilometer, 11-kilometer and 2.2-mile distances, is presented by the Lorain County Veterans Services Commission and this year is partnering with Dillon's Place, a nonprofit founded in memory of a local Marine veteran who died by suicide.
The race was announced as officially open for sign-ups in a City of Elyria Facebook post. Each year the race centers its theme on a different branch of the armed forces, and the 2026 edition is designated to honor the U.S. Marine Corps under the banner “Semper Fidelis,” following tributes to the U.S. Coast Guard in 2025 and the U.S. Army in 2024, according to the Lorain County Veterans Service Commission.
A New Challenge Named for a Fallen Marine
New to this year's lineup is the “Dillon's Place ½ Murph,” a physical challenge consisting of a 0.75-mile run, 50 pull-ups, 100 push-ups, 150 squats and a closing 0.5-mile run, scheduled to begin at 9:45 a.m. on race day, per RunSignup. The workout borrows its format from the Murph, a heroic workout popular in military fitness circles and named for Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy.
Dillon's Place, the nonprofit now partnering with the race, was established by Westlake parents Lee and Angie Franciscus after the March 2025 suicide death of their 24-year-old son, Dillon Franciscus, a U.S. Marine veteran who served during the 2021 Kabul evacuation, according to WKYC. Dillon Franciscus was a former St. Edward High School state champion linebacker who struggled after returning from Afghanistan, the station reported.
From a Labor Day Festival to Downtown Elyria
The race traces back to September 4, 2022, when it debuted at Black River Landing in Lorain during the Lorain Labor Day Festival before organizers moved its permanent staging area to Ely Square Park in downtown Elyria, according to Lorain County government records. In 2025, race administrators secured official USATF course certification for the 22-kilometer route, giving participants an officially certified 13.1-mile half-marathon split during the run, the Veterans Service Commission noted.
In past runnings, the race has attracted more than 325 participants and raised over $20,000 for local veteran emergency relief and crisis intervention services, per the Veterans Service Commission's event records. The commission has not yet said whether it expects this year's turnout or fundraising to match or exceed those prior totals.
Why the 22 in the Race's Name
The number 22 in the race's title nods to a federal statistic: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs data published in its 2024 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report indicates that an average of more than 17 military veterans die by suicide each day nationwide. That figure reflects federal mortality tracking across military veterans nationally and has long been cited as the inspiration for the symbolic distance options used in races like this one.
Locally, the need is also acute. Lorain County records an average of approximately 50 suicide deaths per year, and preliminary public health data showed more than 50 residents died by suicide in 2025 following a late-year surge in cases, according to The Chronicle-Telegram. Public health officials note that middle-aged men represent a statistically higher demographic risk locally, the paper reported.
Veterans in crisis or family members seeking emergency assistance can call 988 for help, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
