Deputies and officers from Henry County and Martinsville will be among those carrying the torch for Friday’s kickoff of the 2024 Virginia Special Olympics.
Held annually, the Special Olympics highlights and showcases the athletic ability of non-traditional athletes. The games run Friday and Saturday at the University of Richmond. Prior to the competition’s start, agencies throughout Virginia will carry their respective torches in support of the longstanding competition.
“The history of this started in 1981,” said Capt. Chris Hines of the Henry County Sheriff’s Office. “We’ve been doing it ever since.”
This torch run is different from at the Olympics, where a series of runners hand off a single ornate torch all the way to the stadium hosting the event. For Virginia’s Special Olympics, organizations and groups can hold their own runs of varying distances. This way, the torch-carrying part of the competition can serve as a way to raise funds and spread awareness about the event.
Henry County and Martinsville officers plan to carry their torch from Martinsville’s municipal building to the Danville city line, a run just north of 20 miles. While not all officers can make that whole trek, there are a handful for which a 20-mile jog isn’t as arduous as it might seem to most.
“It’s really fun and for a great cause,” said Martinsville School Resource Officer Alfredo Huerta, who added that he has participated in events requiring runs of up to 100 miles.
Huerta represents a handful of officers who can go the distance and serve as a sort of anchor to ensure that the torch makes it to its destination. Ten to 15 officers will participate in Friday’s run. Huerta, a longtime runner, said that despite his experience, running more than 20 miles is no easy task.
“Sometimes we have mental barriers and we think we can’t do something until we can do something,” Huerta said. “That’s sort of what happened wIth me. Initially it was a 5K, then it was a 10K, and then a marathon. From there I was like, OK, what is the next limit, running faster, going further, 50K, 100K, 100-mile events, 24-hour events.”
Most participants train year-round, according to Henry County Sheriff Wayne Davis, who said he encourages officers to stay active as a professional matter of course. But training tends to ramp up in the weeks leading up to the event.
The Special Olympic torch-bearing run has become a fixture for both departments. According to Hines, the sheriff’s office and the city police use the event as a way to build morale and foster cooperation between the two.
“Every year the torch run is ran, normally the sheriff’s office and Martinsville Police come together,” Hines said.
Davis said it was important for the departments to continue the tradition.
“The Special Olympics Virginia is a great cause,” he said. “The Special Olympics athletes depend on fundraisers such as this to provide the means necessary to participate in events throughout the year. We’re thankful to support them.”
This year the sheriff’s office was the lead agency for the Martinsville/Danville run. Days prior to the official run, the agency held a mock run from the Ridgeway raceway to the Smith River Sports Complex, a trip of 5.2 miles.
“This was something the sheriff wanted to do,” Hines said. “It was something shorter, something to get the community involved.”
Clay Campbell, owner and founder of the raceway, kicked off the run by waving the green flag. Crediting the participants for running in the heat, he said participation in the Special Olympics is important.
“It’s a good deal for us,” Campbell said. “We wanted to do what we can to help them help others. I think that’s what today is all about.”
