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The Wilmington Police Department has announced that the event "Running 4 Heroes" will take place on January 4 to honor the late State Trooper Corey Thompsen.
Wilmington Police shared details of the run on December 30 via Facebook. The event is scheduled for 10 a.m. in Braidwood, beginning at the Braidwood Fire Department. It is open to the public for anyone interested in participating.
According to a press release from the Illinois State Police (ISP), State Trooper Corey S. Thompsen died following a two-vehicle crash on October 18 at approximately 3:40 p.m. The incident occurred on East Leverett Road at County Road 1300E in Champaign County and remains under investigation. Thompsen was transported to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries at 4:32 p.m. He was 28 years old and had served nearly five years with ISP. He is survived by his wife, mother, and father.
Running 4 Heroes, according to their website, "started with a kid, an appreciation for our First Responders, and a mission to raise awareness and funds for those fallen in the line of duty." Zechariah Cartledge founded this non-profit organization with the aim of raising money for families of fallen First Responders through running.
Cartledge announced on Running 4 Heroes' Facebook page on December 28 that he will be running one mile in honor of Trooper Thompsen on January 4, weather permitting. The organization encourages those who wish to sponsor the hero's flag carried by Cartledge during the run to visit running4heroes.org/pages/donate.
