By DELANIA TRIGG, City Editor
Gainesville Daily Register
Gainesville —
A group of firefighters and other emergency service personnel who plan to run from California to New York met with Gainesville firefighters in the pre-dawn darkness this morning. The runners are part of the Tour of Duty Run — an international group of runners making their way across the country to honor those who died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and to acknowledge first responders worldwide.
The runners who stopped at Gainesville Fire Department’s Station 1 said they were looking forward to a shower and some rest.
The group is a mixed lot of runners from as far away as Australia.
It also includes some New York City firefighters and a Port Authority police officer.
Australian firefighter Nick Beattie said the participants always welcome a break and a chance to stop and meet other firefighters along the way.
Beattie said high temperatures haven’t slowed the runners down.
“We’re used to the heat. We’re firefighters,” he said.
The men run in six-hour shifts, New Orleans firefighter Greg Macussof noted. They spend six hours on the road and take 12-hour rest stops before heading back to the highway.
Macussof — who trains for marathons — was waiting outside Station 1 with several other runners who were scheduled to begin the 6 a.m. to noon shift. The runners are headed for Dallas. New shifts of runners will then begin the journey to Houston, New Orleans and to Chicago.
Macussof said runners have a lot of time to talk on the stretches of open highway.
“Oh yeah, we talk,” he said. “Some miles are emotional and other miles are just muscling through it.”
Between shifts they travel in three recreational vehicles with Tour of Duty signs attached.
Many of the participants are seasoned runners who have logged thousands of miles worldwide.
Australian firefighter Russell Fox, who was also set to take the 6 a.m. shift this morning, said he completed a run from Gallipolli, Turkey to London.
“I’ve done a big run like this before to remember Australia soldiers who died in World War II,” he said.
John Sculley, another firefighter from Australia said the run from the Oklahoma City Memorial — near the site of the former Alfred P. Murrah federal building — to Gainesville was pleasant.
“Coming out of Las Vegas it was extremely hot,” he said. “But last night was a very peaceful and beautiful night.”
He said the Tour of Duty run is a show of support for the Americans who lost their lives on Sept. 11.
The run began on Aug. 12 at the Santa Monica pier and will end at the site of the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, Las Vegas firefighter Ben Erickson said in a press release.
Erickson is in charge of the portion of the run which takes the participants through Texas, south on Interstate 35 through Gainesville and on to Dallas.
“We are running to remember those who are no longer with us and to honor their sacrifice, respect their courage and appreciate their commitment to service and devotion to duty,” he said in the press release.
The runners also see their quest as an opportunity to acknowledge emergency services across the world.
“(Firefighters) are really a global brotherhood. The 9-11 attacks hit us hard in Australia and it is wonderful to be able to come here and share this experience. The run is really about sharing a moment with our mates and to remember and acknowledge emergency service personnel across the world. (Sept. 11) changed the world,” Sculley said.
Sculley said he has experienced the fallout from September 11 firsthand.
“A friend’s son who was injured in the war in Afghanistan just returned home. We run for people like that,” he said.
The runners also said they hope their journey helps Americans remember Sept. 11.
“It has been nine years since the attacks, and unfortunately, many of our citizens have begun to forget what happened that tragic day. As public safety workers, it is our duty to remember and honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice on Sept. 11 and to reinforce all that is good about humanity,” Erikson he said.
Gainesville Firefighter Kelly Vaughn was one of a group of local firefighters who met the runners on Interstate 35 and finished the journey to Gainesville with them.
“I ran with them about four miles,” Vaughn said. “I feel great.”
For more information visit www.tourofdutyrun.com.
Fans of the run can also keep up with the participants’ progress on Facebook and Twitter.
