LOS ANGELES — Officers from Northern California police departments like Turlock and Modesto finished an exhausting half marathon on Sunday that honored fallen law enforcement.
Among others, Officer Roberto Rosas, Detective Sean Dodge, and Lt. Neil Cervenka ran a 10k in full police uniforms, weighing 25 pounds each.
Dodge and Cervenka are no strangers to uniformed running, having run marathons in the Modesto area and even the Marine Corps. Marathon in previous years.
"By running and in a lot of these races, carrying these flags and being able to pass on these flags, and say, 'I struggled and I sweated and I was in pain and I have bruises in memory of their officer who died,' we hope that eases their pain a little," Cervenka told ABC10 in March.
For Cervenka, this year took on a personal tone. Last year, his friend Corporal Ronil Singh was killed during a traffic stop in Newman. While these runs might leave him with sores, bruises, and blisters, this year he says he just won't care as much about the pain.
The Run to Remember marathon honors fallen law enforcement by raising funds to support families who have had loved ones fall in the line of duty.
PHOTOS: Officers run half-marathon with 25lbs of gear to honor fallen law enforcement
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Officers each wearing at least 25 pounds of gear will run a half marathon holding a thin blue line flag to honor the more than 120 officers across the country who lost their lives in 2018.