Runners honor fallen Las Vegas officers in grueling relay — VIDEO
They left Las Vegas a week ago, taking turns carrying the baton.
At the end of a 450-mile relay that followed U.S. 95 northwest through Nevada, the baton will be delivered.
Inside are the names of two Las Vegas police officers — Alyn Beck and Igor Soldo — killed in the line of duty on June 8, 2014. Their names become part of the Nevada Law Enforcement Officers Memorial next to the Capitol in Carson City. They will be the 127th and 128th names engraved on the stone monument.
The relay was divided into 128 segments, matching the number of fallen officers. But far more than 128 runners took part in the run.
Southern Nevada law enforcement personnel carried the baton as the relay proceeded up U.S. 95 and out of the valley. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Detective Tina Ellison, who planned to accompany the relay from start to finish, took photos of every participant along the way.
In the 86 degree heat, 92 miles into the run as it approached Beatty on Friday, there were five runners. Not to mention the support vehicles and an escort by the Nevada Highway Patrol.
The entourage crawled along the highway’s edge. Drivers were waived past the Henderson law enforcement officers running in a group, and SUVs pulled ahead of the pack to prepare for water handoffs until the next baton exchange. The relay disappeared over a hill, and the desert calm returned, interrupted only by big rigs and Death Valley tourists.
Runners logged weekend miles through Goldfield and Tonopah before heading out into valleys where the wind kicked up a steady parade of dustdevils.
As the relay went farther north, runners from Northern Nevada police departments carried the baton.
By Monday, the runners were approaching Hawthorne. Nevada Department of Public Safety Investigator Orlando Guerra carried the baton as fellow investigator Mel Jabines ran in support, representing Churchill County. The pair were out of breath after handing off the baton, but in good spirits.
The runners will reach Carson City today, and a ceremony at the memorial will unveil the names of Beck and Soldo.
