10-Year-Old Runs Miles To Honor Fallen Officers

October 23, 2025

A 10-year-old boy from Chicago is going the distance — literally — to make sure fallen heroes are never forgotten.

Liam / Running 4 Heroes

Liam, a dedicated young runner with the nonprofit Running 4 Heroes, has been lacing up his sneakers to honor law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty. This year alone, Kansas lost four officers within just four months — and Liam made it his mission to pay tribute to their service and sacrifice, one mile at a time.

Running 4 Heroes, founded in 2019, organizes one-mile runs across the country to honor fallen first responders. Together, the group has completed more than 2,000 miles — that’s over four million steps of remembrance and gratitude.

Since joining in April, Liam has already completed 17 tribute runs. In June, he ran in honor of Phillipsburg Deputy Brandon Gaede, and most recently, he dedicated a run to Sergeant Scott Heimann of the Hays Police Department, whose end of watch was September 28, 2025.

Before each run, Liam learns about the hero he’s honoring, writes a letter to their family, and carries an American flag the entire mile — followed by a firetruck or police car in support. After the run, he carefully folds the flag and sends it to the officer’s family as a heartfelt gesture of remembrance.

“Even though we’re in a different state, they’re still trying to help people and help them stay safe,” Liam said. “I want to honor them, even if they’re miles away.”