The annual National Peace Officers’ Run To Remember arrived at Chris Garrett Memorial Park in Cobourg just after 6 p.m. on the first leg of the three day journey from Toronto to Ottawa. The primary objective of the National Peace Officers’ Memorial ‘Run to Remember’ is to raise awareness and focus attention on the annual Police and Peace Officers’ Memorial Service. The annual Service is held on the last Sunday of September in Ottawa with the run occurring over a three day period immediately preceding it. The ‘Run to Remember’ is a 460 km relay that makes it’s way through many communities between the start at the Ontario Police Memorial site in Toronto to the end at the National Memorial on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Not only does the run raise awareness about the Memorial Service it also gives peace officers and citizens along the route the opportunity to participate in some small way if they are unable to attend the actual Memorial Service. Since the beginning of the Run To Remember the runners have ended their first day in Cobourg. Each time a runner stops, dignitaries welcome them, then as the tradition continues, the runners touch Hero’s Flight, a memorial created by the late artist Gerald Gladstone in 2005 in honour of Constable Chris Garrett who was murdered in the line of duty in the early hours of May 15, 2004. The National Peace Officers’ Memorial Run was established in 2005 when the Peel Regional Police running team, The Pacers, decided to raise awareness of the annual Police and Peace Officer’s Memorial Service held annually on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. The running team wanted to create a way of raising awareness of the annual Service and at the same time pay tribute to those officers who have so valiantly given their lives in service of their community.
For video of the run http://nesphotos.zenfolio.com/p629892418/hb83c0b21#hb83c0b21
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
