FL Law Enforcement Torch for Special Olympics FL, to be held, May 13, in Citrus County
ABOUT THE RUN
Citrus County, Florida - The tradition continues on Friday, May 13, 2022, when Citrus County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) deputies will join the annual Florida Law Enforcement Torch Run that benefits Special Olympics Florida. Each year, this signature event highlights the law enforcement community's year-round support of the Special Olympics. Law enforcement officers from around the state carry the "Flame of Hope" in an intrastate relay of simultaneous routes throughout Florida, covering hundreds of miles.
TORCH RUN ROUTE AND TIMES
Citrus County's relay participants will meet at the CCSO Crystal River Community Resource Office, located at 123 NW Highway 19, in Crystal River, FL, where the run will begin at 8:00 a.m. Runners will cover a distance of about 3 miles, traveling east along State Road 44 to the Publix Super Market at Crystal Springs Shopping Center, located at 6760 W. Gulf to Lake Hwy. (SR 44), at the interesection of CR 486, in Crystal River, FL. The Publix grocery store chain is a premier sponsor of both the Florida Law Enforcement Torch Run and Special Olympics Florida and will be providing healthy snacks and drinks for all relay participants.
At 9:00 a.m., bicyclists will ride the second leg of the cross-county relay, from the Crystal River Publix store to the Withlacoochee Technical College, located at 1201 W. Main St. (SR 44) in Inverness, FL, a distance of about 14 miles. From that point, runners will join in, traveling about 0.4 mile to the Publix Super Market, located at 1012 W. Main St. in Inverness.
From the Publix, participants along with clients from the Key Training Center, will travel to the finish, the Citrus County Sheriff's Office Operations building, located at 1 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. in downtown Inverness, around 11:30 a.m., where CoreCivic will provide lunch for all the participants.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
The Law Enforcement Torch Run has long been the largest grassroots fundraiser and public awareness vehicle for the Special Olympics program. As in past years, Citrus County's runners and bicyclists will raise funds for Special Olympics Florida through the sale of commemorative T-shirts. While citizens cannot join in on the run, they are still able to purchase the Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run (L.E.T.R.) shirts to support this amazing cause and are encouraged to cheer on participants at both of the Publix locations listed above.
Citizens can also purchase L.E.T.R. shirts at the Citrus County Sheriff's Office training section in the Park Place building, located at 107 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. in Inverness, Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Citizens can purchase the shirts with cash or check (payable to L.E.T.R.): cotton short-sleeve shirts are $20.00, dry-fit shirts are $25.00, and women's cotton razorback tanks are $25.00.
HISTORY OF THE TORCH RUN
In Florida, the Torch Run started many years ago as the Special Olympics Mileage Event (SOME) Run, when a handful of officers carried the Flame of Hope throughout the state in a grueling, non-stop run. The SOME Run soon gained momentum, and law enforcement agencies from all over Florida became involved. Eventually, the relay came to be known as the Florida Law Enforcement Torch Run.