Last month LAPD officer Kristina Tudor not only completed the Los Angeles Marathon, she ran the 26.2 mile course in full tactical gear. Tudor finished with an official time of 6:14:15 in order to raise money for the Badge of Heart Charity, started by fellow police officer, Ken Lew.
The two officers are trying to raise $25,000 through a Gofundme campaign. Badge of Heart strives provide financial assistance to fellow officers wanting to help families and victims they encounter while on duty. Lew explains:
Everyday Los Angeles Police Officers respond to approximately 5,000 calls for service, which means continuous interactions with the public. Officers see many situations, where good hard working families and Victims needing assistance. Many working parents and families working several jobs to make ends meet. So often, it’s not enough. I would like to help the many Police Officers who witnessed and feels the same, help others!
Badge of Heart desires to connect Officers with the proper aid to help others directly with either physical or financial burdens. We strive not only to give relief, but to show compassion to the hurting people of our community.
The tactical gear Tudor wore weighed an additional 35 pounds, about 1/3 of her total body weight! Thankfully, Tudor is an amazing athlete and has been an endurance runner since high school. According to DVIDS, Tudor has completed at least a dozen ultra-marathons (i.e., marathons longer than 26.2 miles) and even completed a gruelling 120-mile ultra marathon that took over 27 hours to complete.
To learn more visit Badge of Heart’s official website and Gofundme page.