The passion for supporting Special Olympians was just as strong as ever at this year’s Law Enforcement Torch Run on June 26, even though it looked way different than prior incarnations.
This year, instead of the steep incline by gnarled Live Oaks beside Highway 17 and the suburban streets of Scotts Valley, runners jogged past cliffside homeowners and surfers dodging seaweed on a somewhat decent swell.
“This is my third year,” said Shandra Handley, a paralegal with the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office. “This one was fantastic, because I didn’t have to run up to the Hilton in Scotts Valley.”
In the past, each arm of the policing and corrections system would run with the torch for a leg of the journey—from Watsonville to Santa Cruz and then up to Scotts Valley (on its way to the Special Olympics in Santa Clara County that weekend).
But this time, it was a much simpler affair—and more communal.
The various law enforcement and legal contingents all ran as a single pack, from Natural Bridges to the Dream Inn.
For Handley, it was still quite moving.
“You have the police officers that are corralling you and keeping you safe,” she said. “It gives you the feeling that you’re doing something good.”
But what was the reason for the shift from an approximately 22-mile marathon relay to a 2.6-mile version?
Well, turns out, 14 years after retiring from the Scotts Valley Police Department, Lt. John Hohmann decided it was time to call it quits as far as setting up the whole deal each year goes.
“Logistics-wise, it made it a lot simpler,” Hohmann said. “It’s like a sea of runners along West Cliff Drive.”
Plus, he said, handing things over to a Santa Cruz Police Department organizer comes with another added benefit—the opportunity for greater exposure.
In fact, one could already see the potential, as Santa Cruz Vice Mayor Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson gave a speech at the end of the run, just outside the entrance to Jack O’Neill Restaurant & Lounge, and presented a mayoral proclamation from a city with international brand recognition.
“Only in Santa Cruz will you get the smell of rotting anchovies and marijuana along the run,” Hohmann joked in his address to the audience.
Carson Dye, 27, one of the runners about to head into battle in Santa Clara County against the other Special Olympians, thought that was pretty hilarious.
“Great combination,” he said under his breath to this reporter.
He added it was cool to see all the officials out to get him—and his fellow athletes—fired up for the Games, where he was looking forward to competing in various track and field contests.
“I’m going to do 800, 400 and long jump and relay,” he said. “It’s going to be fun.”
Assistant District Attorney Shannon Murphy was another of the runners.
“I’ve done it probably at least 10 years,” she said. “It’s nice having everyone together. You get to see everyone from the other agencies.”
Katie Ostrom, vice president of the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Northern California, wanted to be here in-person for the first time for the momentous occasion.
“This was John’s last hurrah,” she said. “He’s been an amazing advocate for Special Olympics.”
The new route is much safer than some of the sections of the prior one, Ostrom added.
Dye said he was really appreciative of the various members of the law enforcement community.
“We wouldn’t be Special Olympics without them,” he said. “We owe them as much as they owe us.”
