This 5K raises money for the families of TPD officers killed in the line of duty. There have been 31 such tragedies to date including officers Jeffrey Kocab and David Curtis (below) who were shot and killed just last year while trying to apprehend some local lowlife scumbag. Both officers were just 31 at the time...
The race took place in downtown Tampa and much of the route was along Bayshore Bvd. which was thankfully a lot cooler than during last year's race. There were over 2,600 runners too (including nearly 200 law enforcement officers) - 3 times as many as last year!
One of my favorite things about this race is during the national anthem when the guys scale down the TPD building downtown and release an American flag...
I also really enjoyed running with the recruits and listening to their chanting - 'Officer and a Gentleman' style :).
This whole event for me is such a stark reminder of how different England and America really are. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to look at an American cop without thinking he's about to turn into liquid metal...
Although I'm pretty sure that English policemen don't really look like this any more and that's just the way I prefer to remember them :)
Anyway, I didn't dry heave over the line like last year and came in over 8 and a half minutes faster at 31:16 - my fastest race to date!
Great job Clare, I did it in 31:34, almost identical to the Breast Cancer 5K last week!
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