PORTLAND — Dozens of runners were greeted by a crowd gathered in Monument Square about 3 p.m. today, marking the end of a 65-kilometer trek in honor of the 79 soldiers with Maine ties who have died since Sept. 11, 2001.

The fourth Run for the Fallen began about 8 this morning in Ogunquit. About 300 people ran parts of the route, which mostly followed Route 1 to South Portland, where runners crossed the Casco Bay Bridge into Portland and finished the run on Congress Street.

Additional Photos

Kathy McDonald of Casco, far left, and her husband, John Williams, far right, are joined by family members today during the Run for the Fallen as they greet runners at the mile-marker in Saco for their son, SGT. Edmund W. McDonald, who was killed in service in Kabul in March 2007. Jill Brady/Staff Photographer

Each kilometer was marked with pictures of one or two of the killed soldiers. Many families and friends cheered on the runners from the markers dedicated to solider they knew.

A lobster bake for families and friends of the soldiers was held this afternoon at Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth.