Deputies and K9s will race in the popular 5K alongside Midlands-area runners, many participating with their pet dogs
By W. Thomas Smith Jr.
Registration is open for the 14th-annual GUARDIANS OF THE NIGHT, a 5K road race in support of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department’s (RCSD) K9 teams (dogs and handlers), Saturday evening, July 19.
Runners of all skill levels, including walking participants many with their dogs, will join Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott, RCSD deputies, K9 handlers and their dogs in the 5K (3.1-mile), multi-block nighttime road race beginning and ending at the S.C. State Fairgrounds and winding along Bluff Road and Rosewood Drive in Columbia. The 5K race will be timed. A concurrent fun run/walk will not be timed.
According to a statement released by RCSD: “This is a certified race course and chip timing will be used for scoring. Awards will follow along with the opportunity to meet and greet the K9s and Deputies.”
Guardians of the Night 2025 has a twofold purpose: Like previous years, the event raises funds to benefit RCSD K9s with funds pay for training, food, safety equipment, collars, leads (special long leashes used for tracking), and custom-fitted ballistic vests for each dog. This year, the event is also an opportunity for RCSD and the community to honor the memory K9 Fargo, who was killed in the line of duty in 2011, as well as K9 Wick, K9 Kodak, and K9 Bumi who were killed in the line of duty in 2024.
Three of the four – Wick, Kodak, and Bumi – were recently honored during ceremonies at both the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. and all deceased RCSD K9s were recognized during a ceremony and K9-statue unveiling at RCSD headquarters in Columbia.
“This year our Guardians of the Night event is held in the wake of the 2024 losses of three of our beloved K9s,” said Sheriff Lott. “And like every year, we fully expect a great turnout – usually exceeding well over 500 people– including numbers of both participants and those who simply support us. This clearly demonstrates how much our communities care about our K-9s and their handlers, and it means so much to all of our men and women in uniform.”
Lott adds: “This is going to be a great race and, as always, a lot of fun for all.”
RCSD maintains approximately 25 K-9s, including several full-service patrol dogs, responsible for criminal apprehension, tracking and pursuit, narcotics detection, and locating missing persons, two EOD dogs (K-9s that detect bombs and explosive devices), one electronics-detection (computer hard drives, cameras, etc.) K-9, and a search and recovery K-9. RCSD also has “C.J.,” the department’s popular crisis intervention K-9.
– For more information visit www.rcsd.net/k95k, or to register for GUARDIANS OF THE NIGHT 2025, please visit www.strictlyrunning.com.
