Arlington Police Carry the Special Olympics Torch

Every summer, law enforcement men and women from across the commonwealth carry the Flame of Hope in order to raise awareness and financial donations for the Special Olympics Virginia Summer Games.

"The torch run is one of the most gratifying missions. It helps provide the athletes the opportunity to compete and grow personally," said Arlington Police Sgt. Sean Bryson, adding he was happy to run six-plus miles for a worthy cause.

"The torch run always brings Virginia law enforcement together, especially in Northern Virginia."

After a brief Thursday morning ceremony -- the brevity mostly due the glaring heat of the sun -- the official torch of Virginia Special Olympics was lit once again, this time at the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington, and handed off to the Arlington County Police Department to be carried proudly along the George Washington Parkway.

Over the last several days, the flame has been passed throughout southwest Virginia, run through Harrisonburg, and Thursday traversed a 42.2-mile path from Rosslyn to the Marine Corps Base Qauntico, passing among participating local police departments.

Today, the eight-day, 2,000-mile torch run culminates at the opening ceremonies in Richmond, kicking off a weekend of Special Olympics sporting competitions held at the University of Richmond.

Following some heartfelt stories of personal triumph, and words of gratitude from Virginia Special Olympics Vice President Roy Zeidman, the first leg of the torch run commenced Thursday with Arlington Detective John Donaggio carrying the flame and leading the way. He was trailed by some 45 runners, many of them police recruits waiting to attend the Northern Virginia police academy next month.

The Arlington police and sheriff's departments have been teaming up with the Special Olympics since 1986, and are happy that the torch run is still going strong, Bryson said.

"Our runners and walkers were hot, to say the least, but had fun coming together for a great cause," he said.

Thankfully, the hot and humid weather didn't stand in the way of a good cause, he said.