The 420-mile relay is expected to take 12 days, and both officers will run in their full gear and uniforms, which weigh 30 pounds.
Two LAPD officers are running 420 miles in full uniform, from Los Angeles to Sacramento, in honor of colleagues killed in the line of duty.
LAPD officers Joe Cirrito and Kristina Tudor started their 12-day journey Monday; each set out to run 26 miles a day, the equivalent of a marathon, until they reach their final destination.
“They are about a day-and-a-half in and they’re in good spirits,” LAPD Officer Chris Jongsomjit, who is spearheading the campaign, told InsideEdition.com. “They’re motivated and strong.”
Both officers are running in their 30-pound full uniforms, which include a flak vest, duty belt and boots.
After one of Cirrito’s best friends was killed on 9/11, he was especially affected by officers dying in the line of duty. “In the past year or so, attacks on officers and officers dying by gunfire [have] been going up steadily. It was getting us emotionally going and we wanted to do something,” Jongsomjit said.
To support the endeavor, Jongsomjit founded Bluecoat Music, a non-profit intended to raise awareness for fallen officers, and collect funds for the families left behind.
He and his colleagues also dreamed up Project Endure, the 12-day relay from Los Angeles to California's capital city.
Each cop runs a marathon a day – Cirrito taking the first leg, and Tudor meeting him 20 miles from his starting point to take on the second leg.
A support team of about 40 volunteer officers – each taking vacation time to participate in the event – follow Cirrito and Tudor to make sure the two officers are safe and hydrated.
“It’s kind of a big logistical beast here, but everyone’s really excited about it,” he said.
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Cirrito and Tudor have been training for months, on top of their full-time jobs.
"I didn’t want to wait until I knew someone personally who was killed before I did something. It’s a very small world, and this is our way of giving back,” Jongsomjit said.
Donations can be made on Project Endure's website or the group's GoFundMe page.
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