Page 30 - July2021

Going the
Extra Miles
Rob Swiderski makes an extraordinary run to deliver
a message of hope for Chicago Police Department Officers
n BY ROSEMARY AN
n PHOTOGRAPHY BY JENNIFER THORSEN
Rob Swiderski could see it in the officers’ eyes. The hope. The fire. The appreciation. The light.
Swiderski arrived at the 8th District, the first stop of what would be a 26-hour, 80-mile journey on June 19-20 known as Running for Blue Lives. Roars from officers who lined up in roll call formation to greet him provided an energy boost for the long road ahead. But the real strength came from the look on the officers’ faces as he gave the first of the emotional speeches he made at each stop.
In just 15 minutes, he delivered a message so powerful that the officers finally felt the kind of healing they didn’t know they needed.
“It’s as if they were starving for it,” Swiderski relayed. “Be- cause they hung on every word I shared. And I felt such a re- sponsibility to continue to share that message.”
This was not just a one-of-a-kind marathon run that stopped at all 22 Chicago Police Department districts. This was a calling to raise awareness and help officers receive the resources they need to recover from the human tragedy they experience every
30 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ JULY 2021
day. It was a message of hope.
Swiderski thought he could rally the support he felt was need-
ed to prevent further harm to officers by using a talent he was born with — running. He believes he has a personal responsi- bility to use that talent to help enact change.
“We all have some time, talent or treasure that we are respon- sible for,” Swiderski explained. “And we ought to find some way to give back to make a difference in people’s lives. So I just want- ed to deliver this message of hope from a place of deep concern and passion for them and for their lives.”
Swiderski had run for blue lives before. In April, he competed in a 200-mile ultramarathon for the same mission and raised $5,000 in donations for the Chicago Police Memorial Foun- dation. He did not raise the $20,000 goal he had in mind, but more importantly, the run didn’t get the attention to the cause he wanted.
But his aspirations knew no limits, and naturally, he came up with another plan.
“Not very many people knew about it, in spite of how big of an event it was,” Swiderski clarified. “So I was like, How else can we get the attention, appreciation and respect that they de-