SANFORD, FL- Zechariah Cartledge has been both a supporter of the LEO community and a gifted runner since he was a small child. When he decided to merge the two passions by running the New York City Tunnel to Towers charity run at 9-years-old, he never knew it would set him on a path that would change his life forever.
When Zechariah first participated in the Tunnel to Towers event in New York City, he was immediately awe-struck by everything going on around him.
“There were about 500 to 1,000 officers, firefighters, and military members that were in full gear running alongside me. It kind of clicked with me because I was inspired by how all these people were in their full gear that weigh tons of pounds,” Zechariah told LET.
After that life-changing experience, Zechariah was curious to learn more about the tragic events of 9-11. He wasn’t yet born when that fateful day hit America. He only “knew of” 9-11 and wanted to learn more about it to understand the Tunnel to Towers event and how it impacted first responders.
“I decided to watch a two-hour long documentary on 9-11 and afterwards, I just got touched. And since then, I’ve loved our first responders and all they do for our community,” Zechariah added.
But he wanted to do more than just admire the first responder community, he wanted to honor them. That’s when he decided that he wanted to run one mile for every first responder killed in the line of duty.
“I decided to start running for our fallen heroes for something so they can be remembered,” Zechariah said.
At the time, he didn’t realize how his efforts would be recognized but he was committed to his cause regardless.
“After I planted my foot on that first run, I knew I wanted to keep doing this for as long as possible,” he said.
Since that first mile in 2019, Zechariah has honored over 1,500 first responders, mostly police officers, under the nonprofit organization Running4Heroes.
Within the time frame between 2019 and today, Zechariah’s nonprofit organization has raised over $2 million, and his charity has gone from simply honoring the fallen to providing countless grants and scholarships to people across the country.
The Last Mile
But now Zechariah is preparing to enter the next chapter of his life that will bring him into adulthood.
The time has come for Zechariah to run his last mile. December 30th, 2024 will mark the date for his last mile. Although Zechariah will no longer run for Running 4 Heroes, the nonprofit organization and legacy he left will carry on into 2025.
“This run will honor one last time EVERY hero who Zechariah has personally honored in the 5 years that he has dedicated himself to this mission and will be a final sendoff to those heroes as he hands the mission over to the next set of leaders who will carry the mission forward,” their event page states.
It continued, “This run will be open to the general public, and we encourage agencies and surviving families from across the nation to join us for this emotional evening.”
And after over 1500 miles ran, and over 1500 first responders who were tragically taken from us too soon, it is sure to be emotional.
The event will be held at Decision Tactical, a law enforcement training center, at 430 Towne Center Circle, Sanford, FL 32771. Watch the full original interview with Zechariah Cartledge here and visit the running4heroes website to learn more. Also follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
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Writer Eddie Molina is a veteran and has over 25 years of combined LEO/military service. He owns and operates the LEO apparel and accessory company www.BuyHeroStuff.com
When Zechariah first participated in the Tunnel to Towers event in New York City, he was immediately awe-struck by everything going on around him.
“There were about 500 to 1,000 officers, firefighters, and military members that were in full gear running alongside me. It kind of clicked with me because I was inspired by how all these people were in their full gear that weigh tons of pounds,” Zechariah told LET.
After that life-changing experience, Zechariah was curious to learn more about the tragic events of 9-11. He wasn’t yet born when that fateful day hit America. He only “knew of” 9-11 and wanted to learn more about it to understand the Tunnel to Towers event and how it impacted first responders.
“I decided to watch a two-hour long documentary on 9-11 and afterwards, I just got touched. And since then, I’ve loved our first responders and all they do for our community,” Zechariah added.
But he wanted to do more than just admire the first responder community, he wanted to honor them. That’s when he decided that he wanted to run one mile for every first responder killed in the line of duty.
“I decided to start running for our fallen heroes for something so they can be remembered,” Zechariah said.
At the time, he didn’t realize how his efforts would be recognized but he was committed to his cause regardless.
“After I planted my foot on that first run, I knew I wanted to keep doing this for as long as possible,” he said.
Since that first mile in 2019, Zechariah has honored over 1,500 first responders, mostly police officers, under the nonprofit organization Running4Heroes.
Within the time frame between 2019 and today, Zechariah’s nonprofit organization has raised over $2 million, and his charity has gone from simply honoring the fallen to providing countless grants and scholarships to people across the country.
The Last Mile
But now Zechariah is preparing to enter the next chapter of his life that will bring him into adulthood.
The time has come for Zechariah to run his last mile. December 30th, 2024 will mark the date for his last mile. Although Zechariah will no longer run for Running 4 Heroes, the nonprofit organization and legacy he left will carry on into 2025.
“This run will honor one last time EVERY hero who Zechariah has personally honored in the 5 years that he has dedicated himself to this mission and will be a final sendoff to those heroes as he hands the mission over to the next set of leaders who will carry the mission forward,” their event page states.
It continued, “This run will be open to the general public, and we encourage agencies and surviving families from across the nation to join us for this emotional evening.”
And after over 1500 miles ran, and over 1500 first responders who were tragically taken from us too soon, it is sure to be emotional.
The event will be held at Decision Tactical, a law enforcement training center, at 430 Towne Center Circle, Sanford, FL 32771. Watch the full original interview with Zechariah Cartledge here and visit the running4heroes website to learn more. Also follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
---------------------------
Writer Eddie Molina is a veteran and has over 25 years of combined LEO/military service. He owns and operates the LEO apparel and accessory company www.BuyHeroStuff.com
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The opinions reflected in this article are not necessarily the opinions of LET
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