The struggle started for Bridget Guerrero before she took her first step Thursday morning.

Sharing a few words in front of a small crowd that assembled in downtown Oak Harbor before she started on a courageous 160-mile run, Guerrero looked over at Re McClung and struggled to contain her emotions.

“I knew right away I was starting here,” Guerrero said before stopping to gather herself, “because of your daughter.”

Guerrero, a 47-year-old ex-Marine from Edmonds, began a four-day run Thursday to honor the fallen U.S. servicewomen who’ve lost their lives during the global war on terror.

Scheduled to end the run in DuPont just past Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Pierce County on Sunday, Guerrero is covering roughly 160 miles, which represents one mile for every female military service member killed overseas since 9/11.

Dear to Guerrero’s cause is Megan McClung, the first female Marine Corps officer killed in combat during the Iraq War in December 2006.

Guerrero is running in support of an organization called The Valor Run. However, donations raised in support of the run will go to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation to fund a scholarship in memory of Megan McClung, who was from Coupeville.

“She’s running for my Megan and she’s donating the money that she gets to Megan’s scholarship, so yes, I can’t even tell you how much that means to me,” Re McClung said.

“I think it’s phenomenal.”

Guerrero, a longtime ultramarathon runner, decided in November she would attempt such a feat after she read about a friend’s participation in a similar run in Virginia.

She said because of her admiration for McClung, she knew right away that she would start in Oak Harbor.

She knew of McClung because of their military connection, McClung’s triathlon accomplishments and because they both shared a close friend.

Guerrero attended McClung’s funeral with her son, who was four at the time but still talks about it.

“She was loved by everyone she met,” Guerrero said. “We did not know each other. My best friend was her best friend. It’s just a really tight-knit group of people.

“We have tons of friends in common so when she died, our community really felt it.”

Guerrero’s run started at the PBY-Naval Air Museum’s aircraft display area. It began as a walk as she pushed her daughters in a stroller along Pioneer Way with her son riding ahead on a bicycle.

She gave her children hugs and started her jog on Regatta Drive destined for Highway 20 and the Deception Pass bridge before finishing the day just north of Stanwood. Each day, she is scheduled to run 40 miles.

To get updates on Guerrero’s run, go to www.valorrun.org and click on the Valor Run NW tab.