by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
More than 200 athletes participated in the Duval County leg of the 26th Annual Special Olympics Florida Law Enforcement Torch Run Tuesday through the streets of Downtown.
In addition to the large number of runners and walkers, this year’s edition also involved more groups than ever before. The traditional teams from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Neptune Beach Police Department and the Florida Department of Corrections were joined by first-timers from the U.S. Marshals and the Public Defender’s Office plus a corporate team from Merrill Lynch.
There were also 85 of Duval County’s Special Olympians in the field for this year’s run on a three-mile course from the Police Memorial Building through Downtown streets to the Landing. They are part of the total of 1,500 program athletes that competed this year for a chance to participate in the Florida State Special Olympics at the Wide World of Disney in Orlando May 15-17.
Forty-five local Special Olympians are making the trip this year, said July Pierce, executive director of Duval County Special Olympics. The 2009 delegation includes two soccer teams that will hit the field next month in Orlando wearing uniforms donated by the Police Athletic League.
“The support from the law enforcement agencies means so much to us,” she added. “Their support helps people realize how important Special Olympics is to the community.”
Before he handed the torch to this year’s runners on the steps of the Police Memorial Building to kick off the run, Under Sheriff Frank Mackesy commented that Special Olympics is a cause the JSO always embraces with full force. This year local law enforcement officers raised $6,700 for the effort through sales of commemorative T-shirts, caps and sponsorships. The Torch Run was established in 1981 in Wichita, Kan. and has since evolved into a worldwide event. In 2008 the program raised more than $25.5 million for Special Olympics.
“People should understand that law enforcement is about much more than enforcing the law. It’s also about outreach to the community and there’s no better outreach than Special Olympics,” said Mackesy.
Following the run, JSO handed off the Special Olympics torch to law enforcement officers from Clay County, where today it will continue its journey to Orlando.
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