Special Olympics Torch Run 2007

I ran in the Special Olympics Torch Run again this year. I’ve been doing this since becoming a Police Chaplain in 2004 so this marks my third run. Every year, I vow to get in better shape so the next year’s run is easy. I’m nearly 52 now and easily in the worst shape of my life. I was on the way to being in better shape last Fall when I got sick for three months. That’ll nip your training in the bud. Anyway, I gutted it out and I’ve got the pounding headache to prove it. I wasn’t the only one going on will power either; five others pushed themselves with me to do the 3.4 mile run across the city. Actually Capt. Prichard wasn’t pushing himself. He was ready to run back to the department. I’m proud of all of them though for wanting to represent their department and the city of Graham in the effort to run the torch across the state, marking the commencement of the North Carolina Special Olympics.

Each year, we take the torch at the city limits from the Burlington PD runners. We hand it off at the other side of the city to the Sheriff’s Department runners. Sadly, that did not happen this year. The Sheriff’s Department decided they are going to hold their own torch run. As a result, the torch did not get run across the state this year since there was a break in the chain in Alamance County. We had to drive the torch from Graham to Chapel Hill. My hope is that next year we have enough Graham police to continue the torch across Alamance County to Orange County.

Here are all of the participants except for Lt. Watkins who took the photo. L to R: Joe Luna (EMS), Officer Chris Denny, Detective Wenona Dunnagan (escort), Capt. Jeff Prichard, Sgt. Duane Flood, Officer Phillip Thornton, Chaplain Mark Ryman, Detective Scott Sheldon (escort), and not pictured, Lt. Tony Watkins (escort)