Runners begin opening of Special Olympics with run down Interstate 94

The 25th annual Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics started down Interstate 94 from the Bloom exit Friday morning. The 14 runners were to travel to Valley City before passing the torch to law enforcement officers from that area who would continue the torch run to Fargo and the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics Friday evening.

“The run is mostly PR,” said Kevin Arthaud, organizer of the torch run and other fundraising events for Special Olympics. “Our fundraisers are the Polar Plunge and some other things. This is an effort by law enforcement from all over the state to bring the torches to the event at Fargo South this weekend and call attention to the games.”

The group of 14 runners will take turns running and resting in the pursuit vehicles, although one seemed to have a little more ambition than the others.

“I’m thinking about running all the way to Valley City,” said Brad Anderson, a special deputy with the Stutsman County Sheriff’s office. “Depends on how I feel as I get down the road.”

Others had no thoughts of running more than riding.

“I got conned into this so I’ll just run a little ways,” Jessica Wald said, laughing. “They say it is the effort that counts. It is going to be a lot of effort for me to try to do this.”

Wald is an employee at Applebee’s, the event’s corporate sponsor.

Arthaud said Applebee’s participates with the Special Olympics in fundraising events like Tip a Cop and the Polar Plunge. In all, the local Special Olympics fundraising efforts have raised nearly $22,000 in the Jamestown area this year.

The 14 runners on the torch run represented the North Dakota Parole and Probation Department, the Jamestown Police Department, the North Dakota Highway Patrol, the James River Correctional Center and Applebee’s.

Sun reporter Keith Norman can be reached at (701) 952-8452 or by e-mail at knorman@jamestownsun.com

Tags: local news, special olympics, news