Run for the Wall motorcyclists roar through Topeka on way to D.C.

TOPEKA (KSNT) - Hundreds of motorcycle riders stopped in the Capital City on Monday as part of the 35th annual Run for the Wall event that honors Vietnam War veterans.

Run for the Wall starts in Ontario, California and has three main routes to Washington, D.C., one of which takes riders through Kansas. The ten-day ride ends at the Vietnam Memorial Wall at the nation's capital.

Organizers say this year is special because it coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. 27 News spoke to 2025 Route Coordinator Kirk Olson about the trip.

"Gosh, my favorite part of the event is almost every single stop," Olson said. "It's hard to pick one because every gas up we go to every overnight stop, every dinner stop. People come out in droves to help us. Like, for example, at this stop in Topeka, people raise money all year to help pay for our fuel to get across the country. It's just a wonderful gesture that they do for us."

Run for the Wall started in 1989 by a couple of Vietnam veterans who traveled across the country talking to radio, television and newspaper reporters about those still unaccounted for from the country's wars, according to the organization's website.

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