BILLINGS — The Special Olympics are near as the games' torch arrived in Billings Tuesday after a 20-day trek that started in Eureka in northwestern Montana.
Special Olympic athletes and law enforcement converged in Laurel in the morning, making the last leg of the journey to Billings with the flame.
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Billings police officer Cody Carriger carried the torch to Billings.
“We don’t do it for us. We do it for the athletes,” Carriger said.
The Law Enforcement Torch Run started in 1981 in Kansas to create a way for law enforcement officers to get involved with the Special Olympics.
“It brings officers in to connect with these athletes and help them succeed (their) goals,” Southeast Regional Coordinator Gabrielle DeNio said.
Decades later, it is now an international movement. Officers in Montana said there are many reasons to participate.
“Just seeing the smiles on their faces. It's amazing. To be able to run with them, to support them,” Laurel Police Capt. Jarred Anglin said.
The games begin Wednesday, and the torch passed from Laurel to the Billings Police Department to bring the flame home to the Magic City.
Law enforcement plays a pivotal role in supporting the Special Olympics, from volunteering to simply showing support.
“Just being around them, seeing their smiles on their faces, it's worth every penny,” Carriger said.
With 60 miles covered on Monday, Carriger continued to run with the torch to Billings on Tuesday.
“You get tired, you get sore, but it's worth every step, it's worth every mile... for the athletes,” Carriger said.
Carriger said that law enforcement go hand in hand with the athletes in showing support for one another.
“They show us so much love, they show us so much support. So I mean, I would give them 400 miles if I could,” Carriger said.
DeNio shared her reasons for being involved with the Special Olympics.
“You never go to an event without a smile. We never leave an event without a smile. We get hugs, fist bumps, all sorts of gratitude from the athletes and their families,” DeNio said.
The final stretch of the Torch Run starts at 4 p.m. Wednesday, running from MSU-Billings to the James F. Battin Federal Courthouse.
