The public is encouraged to cheer on the runners for the Sedona Police Department’s 2025 Law Enforcement Torch Run in support of Special Olympics Arizona, which will take place on Friday, April 11, starting at 9 a.m. at the Sedona Cultural Park. Participants will walk, run and wheel along the sidewalk down State Route 89A east to the finish area at the intersection of State Route 89A and Northview Road, located at 1771 W. SR 89A. No roads will be closed during the event and drivers will be alerted by electronic signs along the route.
The event is organized by SPD Officer Catherine Beers in the tradition of the original Torch Run, which involved law enforcement agencies nationwide.
“The Law Enforcement Torch Run began in 1981 in Wichita, Kan., when Chief Richard LaMunyon created a way for law enforcement to support the Special Olympics in a meaningful way,” Beers wrote in a press release. “It has since grown into the largest grassroots fundraiser and public awareness campaign for Special Olympics globally, with officers from around the world carrying the Flame of Hope to the opening ceremonies of Special Olympics Competitions.”
The traditional version of the Law Enforcement Torch Run, which involved agency-to-agency handoffs, was abandoned as part of the COVID-19 pandemic response, and the current format of having athletes and officers run with the torch was Beers’ invention.
“It’s high-energy for the athletes,” Beers said. “When the old event took place, it was literally just the law enforcement officers thatwould run the torch from county to county and hand it off to the next agency, so the athletes weren’t a participant,they were the recipient of the funds that are raised for the Law Enforcement Torch Run … So it’s become a favorite of theirs because the focus is on them.”
Beers said that additional volunteers for the event are not needed and that the community can support the event by cheering the participants on or honking their horns while passing.
“If there’s anybody that you know who is willing to stand along the course, it’s exciting for the athletes,”Beers said. ”Last year the employees from the Marriott had a dozen people out there with noisemakers near the start of the route. That was unexpected, and I remember it was emotional for the athletes to get that send off,”
In addition to officers and volunteers from SPD, the Cottonwood, Fort McDowell, Oro Valley, Payson, Prescott, and Prescott Valley police departments will be participating, along with the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, the Sedona Fire District and the Northern Arizona Regional Training Academy.
Photo courtesy Catherine Beers
A special guest for this year’s run will be Sedona resident JoAnne King, a 61- year-old Special Olympics athlete who competed in the Special Olympics for 35 years, starting at age 5. King was a multi-medal winner in a number of swimming events including freestyle, butterfly, backstroke and diving, but also competed in cross-country skiing and bowling.
“We had just this huge box of medals, and she was always up there as the gold medal winner,” said her sister and guardian Kathleen King, estimating her medal count at over 200. “She was an athlete right from right out of the gate. When she was born, she was born running.” JoAnne King said that competing in Special Olympics made her stronger both physically and mentally through the constant training and community.
“It’s competitive but it’s also collaborative,” Kathleen King said. “Because one thing about special needs and the Special Olympics is they want each other to do well. That’s one of the strongest things that affected JoAnne’s life and our lives, too.”
During the closing ceremony for the Torch Run, athletes who are graduating from the Sedona Red Rock High School Red Rocker team will conclude the run by breaking the banner at the finish line. The program is expected to conclude by 11:30 a.m.
“Athlete Aldo Lara-Ayala, will be graduating this year,” SOCSD special education teacher Tiffany Wilson said about this year’s honoree.“ He has been with our Unified Special Olympics team, Sedona Red Rockers, since our team started spring of 2018. He has competed in bocce, bowling [and] track and field over the years and received numerous gold medals amongst the medals he has won at local and state competitions. He enjoys training in competing, making lasting friendships with previous members of our team. In his time on our Unified Special Olympics team Aldo has been spoken in front of audiences numerous times fundraising and teaching others about the program.”
Beers said that SPD and the Sedona-Oak Creek School District’s joint “Minute That Matters” fundraiser that had students collect change at both campuses during the second week of March raised over $1,000 to support the unified Special Olympics teams in the district.
Residents will be able to support Special Olympics Arizona again in the fall during the second annual SPD Golf Scramble at the Oak Creek Country Club on Saturday, Oct. 11. For more information, visit tinyurl.com/yj6h4cuj.
Beers also accepts donations year-round for Special Olympics Arizona. To learn more or get involved, contact her at cbeers@sedonaaz.gov.
