Law enforcement officers from around Southern Oregon turned out Friday morning to escort Special Olympics athletes and the “Flame of Hope” torch on a 17-mile trek from Ashland to Central Point.

Cars slowed down, drivers waved and pedestrians turned to watch as more than 20 runners — a mix of Special Olympians and police officers — kept a steady pace along Highway 99.

Local agencies that participated Friday included Ashland, Eagle Point, Talent, Phoenix, Medford and Central Point police departments, as well as the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State Police.

The run began around 7 a.m. and included an entourage of police cars, motorcycles and a Mercy Flights ambulance until the runners made their way to a finish line at OSP headquarters just after 9:30 a.m.

The Jackson County stretch of the “Guardians of the Flame” torch run picked up the symbolic silver torch — sans flame after it turned out nobody had a lighter — after the Siskiyou County Special Olympics participants ran a stretch of far-Northern California last week.

The torch run — an event first held in Wichita, Kansas, in 1981 — will continue through additional counties before arriving at the opening ceremonies for the Special Olympics Summer Games in Corvallis July 12.

Special Olympic athlete Connor Williams smiled as he ran toward the front of the group of runners and crossed the finish line at OSP headquarters near Crater High School. Williams, 21, said he ran more than half of the five-city stretch.

“I think I did about ten-and-a-half out of the whole 17 miles,” he said.

“I ran cross-country, so it’s not the worst run I’ve done. I did like a 25 or 30 mile before. Not a run but a walk-run. … I think I did pretty good.”

Williams, who lives in Medford, said he began running and participating in Special Olympics in recent years and said he planned to participate in this year’s games for track, swimming and golf. He decided to give running a chance — and learned about Special Olympics — during his teen years.

“I didn’t know it even existed until high school, so I’ve been running for about six or seven years give or take,” he said.

Williams’ mom, Tracey Williams, said her son’s involvement in sports had been a boost for him, socially and academically, during high school.

“He became competitive (during) his ninth-grade year in high school. He saw a cross-country team run by and he pointed and said, ‘I want to do that.’ I told him, ‘But you don’t even like to run,’” recalled the mother.

“He joined the team and it was the best thing ever … and he’s been running ever since. He got on the state (track) team at South Medford. … now he goes back to South and volunteer coaches for cross country and track.”

Special Olympic athlete Eric Thomas smiled for a slew of photos and enjoyed a cold water after ending the race on Friday. Thomas, 31, got a second wind after the more than two-hour run and sprinted ahead of most of the group during the final stretch between the Central Point grain elevator and OSP HQ.

“It was a good run,” Thomas said, noting that he planned to take part in a heptathlon during Special Olympics, a track and field contest made up of seven events.

“I’m doing shot put, long jump, high jump, relay and the 100, 400 and 800,” Thomas said.

“This was my first time doing this run.”

Eagle Point police Chief Jim Hamilton said he was pleased with Friday’s turnout for the event, especially after a several-year hiatus since just before the pandemic.

Hamilton, who came out of retirement last year to run for the Eagle Point department, spent 31 years working for the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety, simultaneously volunteering for the Special Olympics.

Hamilton, who also participates in the Polar Plunge, another fundraiser event for Special Olympics, said he hoped to see the event grow back to what it was pre-pandemic and even earlier.

“My hope is to see us get it back to where it was years ago, like the early to mid-’90s, when we literally ran from the line, all the way up to wherever the state games were held,” Hamilton said.

“It came in from three or four different directions of the state and we would all converge. … It’s just a huge gaggle of athletes and officers and spouses and officer families … just huge. And once you do it, you’re just so jazzed about it, you’re like, ‘This was the coolest thing ever and I’m doing it every year.’”

Hamilton, who has a disabled son who bowls for Special Olympics, said the dedication of the countless athletes, no matter the sport, have inspired his more than three decades of volunteerism.

“For me, it really is just about the athletes. They’re so inspiring. When you get out there and you see them compete, and knowing they have everyday challenges … they just don’t even affect them. They just keep going,” Hamilton said.

“It makes you look at what you have going on and makes you realize, ‘You know, shut up. I’m complaining about my knees or whatever, just stop complaining and just get out there and go.'”

He added, “It’s just inspiring to see them out there and to watch them compete and then, in everything they do, there’s just … just pure joy.”

By Friday, just over $7,000 of $30,000 being raised by local law enforcement for Special Olympics Oregon had been donated. To contribute to this year’s Special Olympics games, visit online.