Career
In his youth, Cartledge greatly appreciated First Responders and the work that they provided for their communities. In 2019, at age 10, he founded Running 4 Heroes with the goal to honor First Responders that had fallen while serving their country. His father, Chad Cartledge, is President of the organization.
In 2019, Cartledge he announced that he would run 1 mile for every police officer lost in their line of duty during 2018, amounting to 148 miles. His ambition was recognized by Attorney General Ashley Moody, who awarded him her first ever 'Back the Blue Award'. Moody later commented, “Zechariah’s unique and passionate support for the law enforcement community Is admirable. That is why he is the perfect first award recipient for our Back the Blue Campaign. I look forward to following his mission this year and praise him for bringing attention to the ultimate sacrifice these officers made.” Cartledge additionally announced that he planned to raise $15,000 for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, having $6,135 at the time. [2]
In February 2021, Cartledge and Running 4 Heroes sponsored Mike Harmon Racing's Bayley Currey for the NASCAR Xfinity Series opener race at Daytona International Speedway. Currey finished 33rd.
In March, Cartledge ran a mile around Bristol Motor Speedway to honor fallen heroes in Tennessee from 2018 to 2021. He gave a $5,000 check to the Knox County Sheriff's Office's Deputy Coble, who was injured in March 2020. Due to ongoing complications with COVID-19, he wasn't able to give the check to Coble in person. [3]
In September, Cartledge traveled to Norton, Virginia to give a $10,000 check to police officer and firefighter Robert Potter. [4]
In December, Cartledge ran in Prairie Grove, Arkansas, and provided a $10,000 check to police officer Tyler Franks, who had been shot multiple times in the line of duty on May 4th, 2021. He also awarded police officer Andrew Gibson the Heroes Hero Award for saving officer Franks' life that day. [5]
In January 2022, Cartledge let a run through Rolla, Missouri to honor recovering Rolla Police Department officer Leann Robertson. He provided her a $10,000 grant to assist with her injury recovery. [6]
In April, he ran through Joplin, Missouri to honor all fallen first responders from Joplin. [7]
In December, he gave a $10,000 check to injured first responder Ronald Harper Jr. in Spencer County, Indiana. [8]
In June 2023, he traveled to Chetek, Wisconsin to run for three police officers who had been killed in the line of duty earlier that year, and to give a $5,000 to Deputy Kaitie Leising's family. [9]
In December 2024, at age 16, he ran his 1,572nd mile, the final one he would run for Running 4 Heroes, as he was no longer eligible to participate as a Youth Runner due to his age. Cartledge later referred to this run as "the end of an era" [10]
