Florida Teenager Runs To Honor Lives Of Oklahoma Officer And Deputy

A Florida teenage is honoring the lives of a McAlester officer and Oklahoma County deputy who both died last week.

Zechariah Cartledge lives in Winter Springs, Florida, and runs a mile for each first responder who dies on the job. He said this is his way of honoring those heroes.

Cartledge first started doing this four years ago. Now at age 14, the miles for McAlester officer Joseph Barlow and Oklahoma County deputy Jeremy McCain put him at 1,478.

“Despite just being another mile for me, I know that it means differently to other people,” said Cartledge. “That’s why I make sure I do every mile to the best of my ability.”

He carries a blue-lined flag with him that he gives to the family of the person he’s running for, along with a hand-written note. He finishes each run with a moment of silence and prayer.

“It significantly affects me because I know that what I’ve done is help out a whole world of people that need it,” said Cartledge. “That’s what continues to give me the inspiration to do more miles like these when we have a need.”

Cartledge also gets an escort from officers in Winter Springs. As he gets older, he said he realizes the importance of what he does.

Although he didn’t know Barlow and McCain, he wants their families to know they’re not alone.

Cartledge and his dad operate a nonprofit called Running 4 Heroes, which also raises money for the kids of first responders kill on duty.