Resident, Police Chief Making Marathon Trek for 9/11 Victims

Frank Del Vecchio will once again be putting his body to the test on Wednesday, making his second Sept. 11 marathon-length run to raise money for the families of World Trade Center attack victims.

Del Vecchio, a village resident and chief of the Fairview Police Department, will make the symbolic run from Ridgewood’s Duck Pond, through Bergen County to cross the George Washington Bridge, and along the Hudson River to the World Trade Center Memorial – a 26-mile stretch.

The idea came about days before the 2012 anniversary, when Del Vecchio made the same run, the first time he had ever attempted such a long stretch. That trip raised $12,000 for Tuesday’s Children, a charity that supports the survivors of the tragedy’s victims, he said.

Earlier this year, he completed a 30-hour, 106-mile run for the victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Fairview Sgt. John Torry will be accompanying Del Vecchio for the run, and Ridgewood Chief John Ward and Bogota Chief John Burke will be riding alongside on bicycles.

“When you’re a police officer, you’re in a brotherhood with other emergency responders,” Del Vecchio said. “We all lost something that day.”

After a moment of silence, his run will kick off from the Duck Pond around 9 a.m. Wednesday. Donations can be made to this year’s effort through the Run for Hope Foundation, which will again raise funds for Tuesday’s Children as well as The Semper Fi Fund and emergency responders.