Sammy Gonzalez took the first step in his nearly 400-mile journey by foot to Tallahassee on Thursday morning and the anxiety and apprehension of a year's worth of training melted away.
The 10-year member of the Lee County Sheriff's Office has been running, lifting and practicing for months for the chance to hand-deliver a check for $20,000 to C.O.P.S. South Florida in what's called the FL Run for the Fallen.
The Concerns of Police Survivors organization provides resources to help rebuild the lives of the surviving families of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.
"I've been thinking about (the run) for about a year," Gonzalez, 40, said. In that time, in addition to training and his regular work duties as a member of the special investigations unit, he has also attended fundraising events.
Another sheriff's office member, Deputy Dave Drum, was somewhat of an inspiration for Gonzalez. Drum did the same check-delivering run in 2012, taking 11 days for the nearly 400-mile trek.
At the send-off for Gonzalez at LCSO headquarters, Drum lauded his fellow LCSO sergeant.
"I can't think of anyone better to pass the torch on to than Sgt. Gonzalez," he said.
"It always played in my mind what Dave did," Gonzalez added. "I asked him about it and he told me not to do it, that I was crazy. And he tried to talk me out of it."
Once Drum saw Gonzalez's dedication to the effort, he grew serious and started helping, walking him through what to expect along the trip and how to train.
"The Lee County Sheriff's Office immediately bought into it," he said.
Partaking in nearly daily training and weightlifting for the first few months, Gonzalez also participated in marathons and fun runs, the longest at 39-miles.
He knows the 390-mile jaunt to Tallahassee, termed an ultra-marathon, is a far cry from his usual type of runs, but he isn't daunted.
"I will run 30 to 50 miles a day," he said and understands the end of each day will take some getting used to.
"It's not going to be pretty," he said. "But it's not impossible, as long as you get over the mental hurdles."
He also has the support of his wife, Lindy, and his children.
"She's extremely supportive," he said. "Still, she'll be glad when it's over."
The weather could be a factor, he said, with rain preferred over the relentless Florida sun.
He will have a support team traveling with him: one person in a marked LCSO cruiser and another advance person to help set up an RV for the nightly camping stop with meals and supplies.
"I have five pairs of shoes," Gonzalez said. "Including recovery sandals and compression socks. My feet will swell."
He was sent off Thursday morning at the sheriff's office headquarters with music from the Guns-N-Hoses bagpipe and drum corps, an honor guard, and encouraging words from Undersheriff Carmine Marceno and Sgt. Drum.
And then, after a kiss from his wife and 5-year-old daughter, it was time to go. Gonzalez took his first steps in a nearly 400-mile journey over asphalt and concrete that will end April 26 at the Law Enforcement Memorial in Tallahassee.
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