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Officers To Run In Full Uniform From LA To Sacramento To Benefit Fallen Comrades

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) —  It's gonna hurt. But it will go for a cause that benefits devastated law enforcement agencies and families like in the cases of a Los Angeles Sheriff's department sergeant and two Palm Springs police officers this month.

For the past six months, before he ever starts his job as a senior lead officer at LAPD's Olympic Division, Joe Cirrito is already at work.

"I've been training really hard every day. I'm out there running on my days off and on. I'm committed to this," Cirrito said.

On Nov. 27, Cirrito and fellow LAPD Officer Kristina Tudor will start a 420-mile relay run from Los Angeles to Sacramento.

They're honoring police officers who have died in the line of duty and raising funds for their families left behind.  It's called Project Endure, and for several days, Cirrito and Tudor will be enduring the grueling run in full duty uniform.

For more information on Project Endure  click here

They'll be carrying an extra 35 pounds, wearing their vests, utility belts, handgun, taser, full magazines and more. Cirrito says the weight on their bodies doesn't compare to the weight on their hearts, thinking about their fellow fallen officers.

"It's gonna be a tough seven  or eight days, but afterwards, I get to go home. I get to go home to my family. That officer that paid the ultimate sacrifice doesn't get to see the kids grow up."

Cirrito says as he trains every day, he dedicates a run to one of the officers on the LAPD Memorial for Fallen Officers.  He'll think of them with every step towards the memorial in Sacramento.

"Today I'm running for Roberto Sanchez, Officer Lee, my buddy Dominic," Cirrito said. "I think about that and It just pushes me and drives me to finish the task."

Cirrito says the journey will be long, but he and Tudor want the families of the fallen to realize they will never be alone.

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