ALTON – Local runners and first responders will honor fallen K9 Odin this weekend, and the one-mile run will be led by 14-year-old Zachary Pruss.
Zachary volunteers with Running 4 Heroes, the organization sponsoring the run at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. As one of eight national youth runners, Zachary runs one mile for every first responder or K9 who is killed in the line of duty.
“To me, it’s just one way to give back to the community,” Zachary said. “When I’m running, I think about who I’m running for and all the people that it means something to.”
Running 4 Heroes was started in 2019 to honor fallen first responders. Since then, the organization has run 1,850 miles for first responders across the country. Odin will be their 103rd K9.
Zachary began volunteering with the organization in July 2024. This weekend will mark his 14th mile. He comes from “a family of runners” and first responders, so it was a natural decision to get involved with Running 4 Heroes.
“When it was brought to my attention, I was like, oh, wow, I think this would be great, especially because my dad is a first responder,” Zachary said. “He’s a firefighter paramedic, and he’s a retired Air Force veteran, too.”
Zachary’s father previously served at Scott Air Force Base in Belleville. Zachary and his family live in a suburb of Chicago, about 3½ hours away from Alton. In his free time, Zachary plays basketball and participates in his high school band as a trumpet player. He also completed his first half-marathon in Moline earlier this year.
The family will travel to the Alton Police Department on Saturday, where the run will begin and end. Runners from across the area are welcome to join Zachary on his one-mile run, and many first responders will be in attendance to show their support for K9 Odin and the Alton Police Department.
During his run, Zachary will carry a blue line flag, which will then be folded and presented to Odin’s handler, Alton Police Officer Allen Averbeck. Zachary, his family and the organizers at Running 4 Heroes hope that the run provides some healing to the Alton Police Department while honoring Odin’s life. They hope to see many people and first responders at the event.
“You always hear about fallen officers and firefighters and you think, ‘That’s really a shame,’ but you don’t realize the impact that it has on the departments and on family members,” added Sherese Pruss, Zachary’s mother. “I just want to say that this organization, the way that we found it and everything that it’s been able to offer our family to be able to give back, truly has been an honor and an experience and a life-changing event for all of us.”
For more information about Running 4 Heroes, including how to support the organization, visit their official website at Running4Heroes.org. For more information about the one-mile run honoring Odin on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, read this article on RiverBender.com.
