St. Cloud police officer raising suicide awareness completes run across Florida
Police officer raising suicide awareness
A St. Cloud police officer who embarked on a run across Florida last week to raise suicide awareness is back in town. FOX 35 met up with Cpl. Justin Zeigler last Monday, the day before he took off on that 200-mile journey from the west coast of Florida to St. Augustine.
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - A Florida police officer who embarked on a run across Florida last week to raise suicide awareness is back in town.
FOX 35 met up with St. Cloud Police Cpl. Justin Zeigler last Monday, the day before he took off on that 200-mile journey from the west coast of Florida to St. Augustine.
And it was no easy feat. Zeigler says he suffered several injuries and had to brave cold temperatures, strong winds, and rain.
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"Typically, at a race, you have aid stations, and every 15–20 miles, someone is going to be there to give you food and stuff, but this wasn't the case for this one. It was fully self-supported," he said.
St. Cloud police officer to run across Florida to raise mental health awareness
St. Cloud police officer Justin Zeigler is getting ready to run across the state of Florida to raise mental health awareness and bring attention to a nonprofit close to his heart.
However, it was all worth it in the end. Zeigler says his experience served as a reminder to keep persevering, even when life gets tough.
"I always learn from these races, and this one was no different. But as long as you don't quit and you have a plan, you can get through it," he said.
During the run, Zeigler wanted to bring attention to a nonprofit called Survive First, a group of former law enforcement officers dedicated to helping first responders get the help they need.
He credits the group with changing his outlook on life after losing his work partner to suicide several years ago.