Havre officer carrying the torch for Special Olympics

The annual Flame of Hope Torch Run for Special Olympics covers 2,700 Montana miles, and Havre Police Department's Josh Holt's contribution will be a 70-plus mile stretch to Fort Benton.

Holt began his journey at 7 a.m. today at the Havre Police Department, from where he ran, accompanied by athletes, to the intersection of First Street and Fifth Avenue. He then put on his bike gear and began pedaling on his journey, west on U.S. Highway 2, then south on U.S. Highway 87.

Holt will be accompanied by a police cruiser and another vehicle, driven by Local Program Coordinator Mandy Hansen, packed with cheering athletes who participate in the Special Olympics.

Holt has said he enjoys running and biking. He said he anticipates covering the 77 miles from Havre to Fort Benton in about five hours, he said.

The Torch Run, which began in 1985, raises thousands of dollars for Special Olympics Montana athletes, a press release for the event says. This year the torch run began April 26 and will culminate May 17, when officers from around the state will join together to bring the Flame of Hope into Washington Grizzly Stadium in Missoula for the State Summer Games opening ceremony.

The torch will make stops in other towns throughout the state including Scobey, Medicine Lake, Kalispell, Billings, Glasgow, Malta, Butte, Boulder, Anaconda, Cut Bank and Lewistown.

The press release for the event says nearly 30 law enforcement agencies are participating in the run, including U.S. Border Patrol, Whitefish Police Department, Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Missoula County Sheriff's Office, Montana State Prison, Helena Police Department and Montana Highway Patrol.