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Retired Cop Hits Snag During Walk To 9/11 Crash Sites

CRESTWOOD (CBS) -- A retired Chicago cop walking to the 9/11 crash sites to raise money for charity has suffered a setback.

Five days into his nearly 1,000-mile walk and Phil Szpicki is crestfallen in Crestwood.

The 70-year-old made it from Rockford to a Crestwood hotel - about 100 miles - but encountered poison ivy, has a swollen ankle and a smart phone that's on the fritz.

LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio's Nancy Harty Reports

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So Tuesday night he had his foot in a bucket of ice and planned to keep trying as long as he can stand.

He figures the first 200 miles are a learning curve and after that things will go more smoothly.

Szpicki has raised over a thousand dollars for the Wounded Warrior Project so far.

He never served in the military, but spent 25 years on the Chicago police force.

He says his quest is like a song he just can't get out of his head.

Szpicki trained for a year to prepare himself and says he never had a sprain like this.

He had estimated it would take 68 days to walk from Rockford to Shanksville, Pa., then Washington, D.C., and finally New York City.

But that was before the ankle sprain.

You can find out how to donate by going to his website 911vetswalk.com.

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