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Mike Ehredt, of Driggs, Idaho, stands in the rain as he salutes the American flag memorial he placed on the west side of Teton Pass on Thursday. Ehredt is running across the country placing a memorial every mile for soldiers killed in Iraq. NEWS&GUIDE PHOTO / PRICE CHAMBERS

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Mike Ehredt has two passions whose origins he can’t quite describe. Although they have always existed, intrinsically, they are impossible to explain.

One is running, specifically long distances. Ehredt finished a 250-mile Trans-Himalayan run in Nepal in 2006. He has run the 151-mile Marathon des Sables across the Sahara twice. And he is one of 34 people to ever finish the Rocky Mountain Slam, running the Bighorn, Hardrock, Wasatch and the Bear 100-mile races.

His other unexplicable desire is to serve. About 30 years ago Ehredt enlisted in the Army, the most meaningful job he felt he could do. He served four years, stationed in Germany. When he finished his military service, as a specialist, he wasn’t done.

“I felt there was still more I needed to do,” he said.

About three years ago he figured out what that was and is combining his devotion to running and service in an effort to honor those killed in Iraq.

On May 1, Ehredt, 49, a former postal worker in Driggs, Idaho, started a cross-country run beginning in Astoria, Ore. He arrived in Jackson, running over Teton Pass from Idaho, on Thursday. His run will finish in mid-October in Maine.

He will pause after each mile along his 4,514-mile journey to plant an American flag with the name of a solider killed in Iraq.

When he began to plan the trip three years ago, the Iraq war was dominating the headlines. It seemed fitting to honor those recently killed instead of trying to pick one of the many past conflicts for his focus.

The trip was a way to experience America from coast to coast and also remind people of the service of those killed.

“To do it in a car? No,” Ehredt said. “To do it on a bike? No. It was meant to be done on foot.”

Doing it any other way would take away the time he spends with each flag. Ehredt researched deaths on icasualties.org. He attached a slip of paper to each flag with a name, their rank, age and hometown.

While running he takes a moment to think of the person on the flag he will plant next.

Aaron J. Ward, 19. Private First Class.

What was he like?

Captain Nathan R. Raudenbush, 25.

Was he athletic?

Private First Class William Z. Vanosdol, 23.

Was he a father?

Ehredt remembers each soldier, but he doesn’t dwell on death.

“It can become a cesspool one can never crawl out of,” he said.

Instead, he takes in his surroundings. Each place has its own beauty. He likes to think the deceased also is viewing what he is seeing from up above. The warm welcome he’s received in communities didn’t surprise him.

“Rural America is very red, white and blue,” he said.

What was unexpected was the lasting impact his journey seems to have on others. People see him and say they want to do something meaningful. They are inspired to give something.

“It opened up eyes to a lot of people in a way I didn’t expect,” he said.

Ehredt says he started running as soon as he could walk. His first race was to the refrigerator when he was hungry.

“I feel like I’ve been training for this my whole life,” he said.

His trip requires him to run about 30 miles a day, spending about eight hours a day running over varied terrain, such as climbing Togwotee Pass, and in all kinds of weather – he arrived in Jackson on a day of constant rain.

To prepare, he ran only about three hours a day, knowing his body would adjust when he was on the road.

“There’s not a book written on how to run across the country,” he said.

The first few weeks there were aches and pains, but his body adjusted. He often forgets about the pounding of pavement on his legs. There isn’t a morning he isn’t ready to run.

“It’s like being in a really slow car,” he said.

For the 157 nights Ehredt is on his trip he has a place to stay with host families who volunteered to open their homes.

While running, Ehredt pushes a cart full of flags. He carries 300 at a time and every 10 days gets a box sent to an upcoming host family.

The only time he walks while on the road is when he walks up to plant a flag.

He leaves the fallen soldier’s name and memory attached to the flag on the side of a road, offering a brief salute before moving on.

His tribute is to leave the flags, but Ehredt kind of likes the idea of people picking them up. Perhaps someone will read the name and research the person and think of their sacrifice. Perhaps it will make someone remember.

Find a flag or track Mike Ehredt’s progress

Ehredt had a program written for his iPhone. When he plants a flag, the information about the soldier it honors is imported into his phone. The location and name is put on his Web site, and the flag’s location can be found by searching by a solider’s name. Flags, as well as his running progress, can be found on the Web site, www.projectamericarun.com.