LIHU‘E — Registration forms for the Troy Barboza Law Enforcement Torch Run are available at any of the First Hawaiian Bank branches for the event that will take place on Saturday, April 22, starting at Vidinha Stadium.
Kaua‘i Police Activities League Officer and Coordinator Chuck Bedford and the Kaua‘i Police Department and its many friends, including title sponsor First Hawaiian Bank and volunteers with Special Olympics, will escort the Special Olympics “Flame of Hope” during the Torch Run that precedes the Special Olympics Track and Field Meet.
Registration for the Torch Run takes place at 7:15 a.m. on Saturday, with the run getting underway at 7:45 a.m. at Vidinha Stadium. Anyone and everyone is welcome to join the torch escort, as well as enjoy the Special Olympics Track and Field Meet hosted by the Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Resort & Spa in Po‘ipu.
The Torch Run 1-mile route is user-friendly, running past the police headquarters, turning south on Kaua‘i Veterans Memorial Highway and looping back to Vidinha Stadium for entry into the Special Olympics games.
The Special Olympics track and field meet will have athletes competing in 14 different events, including the 200-meter dash, standing and running long jump, shot put, softball throw and unified sports relay events.
Unified sports combine Special Olympic athletes with athletes without intellectual disabilities, known as partners, on sports teams for training and competition.
The Torch Run was created in 1981 by Chief Richard Lamunyon of Wichita, Kansas, who, along with a couple of deputies, ran the first torch run for Special Olympics. The torch is now carried by law enforcement officers, referred to as “Guardians of the Flame,” in every state and in more than 40 countries.
Hawai‘i named the Torch Run for fallen Honolulu Police Department officer Troy Barboza, who also volunteered as a Special Olympics coach and was a participant in the first Torch Run in Hawai‘i.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
