LOGAN — An event this Monday night, June 5th, will kick-off the statewide Special Olympics Torch Run and will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Logan’s Merlin Olsen Park.
On KVNU’s For the People program this past week, one of the founders of the Cache Valley leg of the torch run, Helene Salanoa from the Cache County Sheriff’s Office told us what’s involved.
“We get together with Special Olympic athletes in the valley and we do a short run. We used to do it from like the north Walmart to the south Walmart, but we then condensed it in the last couple years. But we usually get law enforcement, so it’s a law enforcement torch run for Special Olympics,” said Salanoa.
She said the Cache County Sheriff’s Office hosts it every year.
“There’s usually a deputy or an officer or a first responder that holds the torch, and the torch is lit and they’ll hold the torch with a Special Olympic athlete,” Salanoa explained. “And we’ll just kind of rotate between the first responders and athletes until the run is finished.”
Salanoa said the public is invited to come and participate by buying a t-shirt and being on the sideline supporting the runners.
“Now, for this run for Cache Valley the deadline for that was last week, actually (May) 25th, but people can still come out and cheer people on, cheer all the runners on as they come in, as they finish the race at Merlin Olsen Park. And there’s going to be food and we’re going to have a pizza party and some desserts and stuff, so people can socialize after. It’s a lot of fun.”
Salanoa said for her it is especially fun to get to know the athletes and see them year after year.
You can get more information on the race by going to the Facebook page – Cache County Special Olympics Torch Run.