Twenty-Third Annual Statewide Law Enforcement Torch Run

Twenty-Third Annual Statewide Law Enforcement Torch Run benefiting Special Olympics Delaware

Statewide- The 23rd ANNUAL STATEWIDE LAW ENFORCEMENT TORCH RUN involving over 500 Law Enforcement Officers and spanning 161 miles will be held between Wednesday, June 10 and Friday, June 12.

Special Olympics Delaware provides a year-round program of quality sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. A family of over 4,000 volunteers makes this program possible for the more than 3,000 athletes who compete in Special Olympics Delaware.

“We build sports skills, confidence, strength, motivation and self-esteem ... not just for the athletes, but for everyone involved,” says Ann Grunert, executive director of Special Olympics Delaware.

This year’s Torch Run will be a three-day event, starting in Rehoboth Beach on Wednesday, June 10 at 7:30 p.m. The First State Band will lead the gala Torch Run sendoff from the Rehoboth Beach Bandstand.

New this year, the general public can participate in the Run with the Flame, a 2-mile run accompanying the torch as it leaves Rehoboth Beach.

On Thursday, June 11, the Torch will start at Lewes, Georgetown and Delmar, and will travel to Milford, Harrington, Dover, Smyrna and Odessa. The event continues on Friday, June 12, from Troop 9, with the Torch proceeding to the Wilmington Police Headquarters in Wilmington for a 1:20 p.m. celebration and then on to Newark for a 4:15 p.m. celebration at the Newark Municipal Building.

The event culminates with a final leg into the University of Delaware’s Bob Carpenter Center for the official opening of the 2009 Summer Games, where the Special Olympics’ Flame of Hope will be delivered