Torch Run Begins In Havre de Grace

HAVRE DE GRACE, MD — The Special Olympics Torch Run took off in Havre de Grace Tuesday morning. Runners converged near the Lock House then ran through downtown before stopping near Havre de Grace Middle School and continuing on to US 40.

The run took athletes down Water Street to Union Avenue to Revolution Street to Lewis Lane to US 40.

The run will travel south on US 40 to Joppatowne, where the torch will be turned over to Baltimore County.

Havre de Grace Police Chief Teresa Walter welcomed the runners near the Lock House Tuesday morning and thanked everyone for their participation.

"It means a whole lot to our Special Olympians," Walter said. "It's for an unbelievable cause."

Stacey Hull, 47, who lives in Harford County, was the Special Olympian who carried the torch from the Lock House. She plays softball and soccer as an athlete in the Special Olympics.

"Thank you for what you do, and thank you for what you are about to do today," Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey Gahler said at the Lock House before the runners, which included a group of cadets, took off.

More than 7,800 athletes in 27 different year-round sport participate in the Special Olympics Maryland, according to Chief Development Officer Nate Garland. From sailing to skiing, "You name it, they're doing it," he said before the run began in Havre de Grace.

Funds raised by the torch run will go toward equipment and programs for the Special Olympics Maryland, which Garland said is the largest sports program in Maryland and costs nothing for participants.

There were 1,500 law enforcement officers participating in the 21 legs of the torch run this year, Garland said.

"Not only are you raising money today," Garland said, "you're raising awareness," because more than 1,700 people in Maryland with intellectual differences are not participating in Special Olympics programs who could benefit. "There's one more athlete" who may join Special Olympics Maryland due to events like this, he said.

Havre de Grace Middle School raised $1,000 through t-shirt sales before the torch run. The Havre de Grace Police Department still has some for those who are looking. There is also a donation page for the Harford County .

The torch run in Harford County will be about 18 miles, concluding around 1 p.m. near Joppatowne, organizers say.

Drivers should be aware of runners on US 40 throughout Harford County in the meantime.

The torch will ultimately travel to Towson University, where the summer games for the Special Olympics Maryland takes place June 8 to June 10.

Photos, video by Elizabeth Janney. Embedded photos from the Havre de Grace Photos Department and Harford County Sheriff's Office.