The hot mid-morning Florida sun beat down upon Philip Royal's head and neck.  Sweat poured from his body, and his feet and legs recoiled rhythmically from the shock of the hot asphalt beneath his shoes.

Most people, if they had their way, would prefer to stay out of the sweltering heat this time of year, much less choose to run 180 miles down a lonely stretch of U.S. 19.

But not Royal.  He said the difficulty of the journey is the whole point.

“I think when they started this 34 years ago, their intentions were to make as much sacrifice as possible,” Royal said in Chiefland during a break from his run.

Royal, a lieutenant with the Citrus County Sheriff's Department, was one of several people this year to participate in the 34th annual Run for the Money event on behalf of the Key Training Center.  

The center, started in 1966,  serves adults with developmental disabilities, providing daily living assistance, social skills, job training and healthcare to about 300 people.  The event, since it's inception in 1976, has helped to raise about $3 million.

“It's mainly to bring awareness, to raise funds,” Royal said.  “The sheriff's department is a big supporter.”

On Wednesday, with a police escort on his heels, Royal made it to Chiefland, a little more than halfway toward his destination at the Key Training Center in Inverness.  The trip began on the steps of the capital in Tallahassee on July 19, he said.  

The runners average about 30 miles a day, running 20 of those miles in the morning hours.

For more information about the event or to donate, check out their website at www.runforthemoney.com.  For more information about the Key Training Center, go to www.keytrainingcenter.org.