Retired Rochester police officer to begin 1,247-mile run in memory of slain colleague

A retired Rochester police officer this week will start his 1,247-mile journey in memory of a slain colleague.

Brett Sobieraski, a former sergeant leading RPD's SWAT team, will commence a 50-day-long journey running one marathon (26.2 miles) per day for almost two months from Florida to New York. He will begin his run Sunday morning in Palatka, Florida, and plans to conclude his final miles in Rochester on June 11 if all goes as intended.

Sobieraski, 56, of Carlton, Orleans County, was a Rochester police officer for more than three decades and for many years worked with Officer Anthony "Tony" Mazurkiewicz, who was killed in the line of duty while working a surveillance detail on Bauman Street as part of the department’s tactical unit.

Mazurkiewicz, 54, who was survived by his wife, Lynn, four children and three grandchildren, spent much of his 29-year career in RPD's tactical unit. Sobieraski, who worked in the narcotics unit on top of his SWAT team role, said he had known Mazurkiewicz since he joined the department. The two men were in neighboring patrol sections in their early years, but often worked with one another on assignments.

"Maz would tell you exactly what he thought – both the positive and negative," Sobieraski said. "He was a great sounding board and a great street cop. He could have retired or taken a desk job, but he wanted to be out there amongst the chaos, catching the bad guys."

Sobieraski said he hopes to raise $100,000 for Mazurkiewicz's family through his efforts and as of midweek, $11,000 was donated. He also hopes to work through some of his own grief – following Maz's death and the 2014 shooting death of another RPD tactical unit officer, Daryl Pierson, 32 – as he pounds the pavement.

"I wanted to do what I could and to let the family know we remember him and his sacrifice," Sobieraski said.

Some of Mazurkiewicz's former tactical unit colleagues plan to join Sobieraski at different points along his run, which will take him through eight states: Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York. Friends and former colleagues plan to come down four to five days at a time to serve as a support crew and run or bike alongside Sobieraski.

To prepare, Sobieraski said he ran regularly – around 50 miles a week – but admitted that the mental preparation was a more daunting task given the hefty distance he plans to cover. He plans to run each morning and recover (and hydrate) the rest of each day along the route.

Sobieraski is accustomed to facing both physical and mental challenges. He has accomplished numerous feats in the past, including swimming across Lake Ontario, participating in multiple road and trail races, completing a 135-mile ultramarathon in Death Valley, running for 50 hours covering 175 miles along the Erie Canal, and most recently, running from one rim to another of the Grand Canyon and back. He undertook the latter challenge shortly after retiring.

Sobieraski said he planned a route that will take him mostly along back roads and says preparing mentally has been more challenging than preparing physically. He added a two-day buffer in case of extreme weather and purchased a motor home and will have a support crew along the way – some running, others biking and more in the motor home command center.

Sobieraski said his son Zack, an RPD officer since 2015, will join him for the journey south and the first few marathons. Anyone can join in to run the final three miles, between Genesee Valley Park and the fallen officers memorial at the Hall of Justice in Rochester, where Mazurkiewciz's family will be waiting his arrival around 1 p.m. June 11.

"To run in with hundreds of people in tow to show the family we love them and support them … that's going to keep me going," he said.

What you can do

To donate to the fundraiser, go to locustclub.org. To join the run, or register for a virtual challenge, go to runsignup.com/Race/NY/Rochester/8StatesforMaz.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Brett Sobieraski to run in memory of Anthony Mazurkiewicz