Special Olympics torch relay crosses North Carolina
DURHAM (WTVD) -- ABC11 Together helped to pass the torch in the Bull City Tuesday afternoon.
Anchor Heather Waliga and "Big Weather" Don Schwenneker took part in the Special Olympics torch run.
Heather ran a quarter of a mile and then handed it off to Don, who sprinted the last leg.
The torch will stay in North Carolina for the rest of the week with stops in Fayetteville, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill. On Friday, it heads to South Carolina before heading west.
For the first time, the Flame of Hope is traveling across all 50 states leading up to the 2015 Special Olympics World Games next month in Los Angeles.
Over the course of 46 days, over 20,000 participants are running, walking or biking a segment of the relay.
The relay will culminate at the Opening Ceremony of the World Games on July 25. ESPN, the official broadcaster of the World Games, will produce the Opening Ceremony live as well as a nightly highlights program throughout the nine-day event.
"In a time when there is so much dividing people, our World Games offer an opportunity for our nation to come together to celebrate differences and unify in the spirit of respect and inclusion," said Special Olympics CEO Janet Froetscher. "With so many people coming to the U.S. for the World Games, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for every citizen to carry the Flame of Hope through their communities where it will light the caldron that burns during the Games. As the torch makes its way across our country it will bring us together in a unique way that will open hearts and minds."
