Six-year-old Braxton Lee of Gloucester loves to run and this spring he put his paces to work in support of the family of a fallen Virginia State Trooper.

Braxton was at the local Chick-fil-A when he saw a collection jar for the family of Trooper Chad Dermyer. Braxton inquired about the officer, who had resided with his family in Gloucester, and learned he was killed in the line of duty in March.

Braxton, who started running with the Petsworth Pacers at his elementary school, was already participating in some running events. “He had run races to help raise money, so right away he wanted to run to help the trooper’s family,” said Braxton’s father, Jarret Lee. 

Lee said he knew his son was serious about wanting to help the family when he was still talking about it after they returned home from the restaurant, “He started planning right away.”

Too young to run a full 26.2-mile marathon, Braxton decided he would run the equivalent of a marathon o...