Strongpoint Theinert Half Marathon upcoming

The year was 2019 and two friends of James “Jimbo” Theinert, the president of the family organization that gave rise to the Strongpoint Theinert  Ranch, offering a respite to active military personnel, veterans and Gold Star families, came to him with an idea for an event to raise money for the cause.

Mitchell Clark and Kelsey McGayhey proposed to run a half-marathon on the Island, encouraging donors to meet their athletic commitment with dollars.

It’s doubtful anyone on the Island and even far beyond doesn’t know that Jimbo’s brother, 1st Lt. Joseph Theinert lost his life in Afghanistan on June 4, 2010, motivating the community to rise up and support the effort to honor his memory with positive action. Joey’s mom Chrys and his stepfather Dr. Francis Kestler contributed the land in Magdalena, N.M. on which the ranch stands today.

Operations at the ranch are funded by various activities throughout the years that enable those participating in its programs to not have to pay for transportation or their stay at the ranch.

Today, the eighth annual half marathon continues and is slated for Saturday, March 14 on the Island with many more runners and ruckers — those who walk with weight on their backs — and many more contributing money to the cause.

Each year, the money raised is dedicated to a specific aspect of the operations at the ranch. This year, the money will be used to help pay for health and wellness programs at the Strongpoint Theinert Ranch.

With the annual goal of raising $10,000 with this event, as of this past weekend, contributions were already close to $8,400, making it likely that by race day, the goal will have been surpassed. “Our other goal for 2026 is to have at least 21 people participant in the half marathon,” said Jimbo Theinert. “We set the high water mark last year with 20 participants, so now we have to beat it.”

Anyone wishing to participate but who can’t be on the Island that day can run or walk their own half marathon wherever they are on March 14.

Ruckers will start the race at 10 a.m. with runners starting at 11:30 a.m. The 3.5 mile course that varies year to year is expected to see participants cross the finish line with a time between 1 hour and 15 minutes and 2 hours and 15 minutes, Mr. Theinert said.

This year’s course will be revealed later this week on the fundraising page at givelively.org/teams/the-strongpoint-theinert-ranch-inc-17-crescent-way/2026-funding-campaign/2026-strongpoint-half-marathon.

You can register as a runner, rucker or contributor on the site.