An Orleans police sergeant is running in a 275-mile relay to honor fallen officers
Orleans Police Sergeant Andrew McLaughlin was taught to never leave a fallen comrade behind.
This weekend he’ll stay true to that mantra, running a 275-mile relay to honor fallen officers and military veterans—and he’ll do it while carrying a 50-pound sack.
Ruck4HIT2016 is a two-day ruck run from New York’s Ground Zero to Cape Cod. The race is to honor fallen officers and raise awareness for veterans suffering from PTSD.
McLaughlin is one of nine team members who will trade off running while carrying a weighted sack, each with pins and badges honoring fallen officers.
McLaughlin’s sack will commemorate six fallen officers, including Massachusetts State Trooper Thomas Clardy who was killed in a Mass. Pike crash in March.
“These men and women are putting or have put their lives on line so I can have the ability to wake up in morning and walk around without getting attacked,” McLaughlin said.
State police thanked McLaughlin and Orleans police “for thinking of Tom” in a Facebook post.
“I know people who’ve served in the military and some who’ve been killed. I also know soldiers who have suffered from PTSD; I’ve served with police officers in the military,” McLaughlin added. “… Soldiers risk their lives away from his or her family, and then they come back here and some come back as police still trying to protect us, so to me they’re heroes and that’s why I’m honoring them.”
https://www.facebook.com/HeroesInTransition/photos/pcb.1358746604152459/1358743170819469/?type=3&theater
The relay was organized by Heroes in Transition, a nonprofit that’s mission is to provide assistance to veterans in need, and it’s raising money to be able to provide assistance dogs to veterans suffering from PTSD, according to Nicole Spencer, the organization’s director of development. Spencer is also participating in the run.
Each of the team’s members represents a different branch of the military, Spencer said. Though they all come from different backgrounds, McLaughlin said they all have “one mission.”
“We are all wiling to sacrifice what we have to to get this done and we won’t leave anyone behind,” he said. “This is definitely a team effort.”
And the team effort doesn’t stop with the runners. McLaughlin said to make this event a reality, they’ve received support from the New York Police Department, Cape Cod police, state police, and their fundraising sponsors.
They’ll also have a support crew of runners and medical staff following them in a van throughout their entire trek. Only one person will run at a time with their weighted sack, switching off runners every five to seven miles, McLaughlin said. When team members aren’t running, they’ll be in the van resting and rehydrating.
The relay started around 3 a.m. Friday morning. McLaughlin said he hopes they will arrive in Falmouth between 8 p.m. and midnight Saturday night.
Spencer said though it will be a late finish time, she is excited to see her friends and family at the finish line, especially her Marine brother who she is running for.
“I’m hoping to get as many people as we can out there during our last mile,” she said. “We’ll be completing the first miles as a team and we will definitely finish the last as a team.”
Andrew McLaughlin (bottom left) and the Ruck4HIT team in New York City Thursday.
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