By C1 Staff
MACOMB COUNTY — Several members of the Michigan Department of Corrections will represent the agency in the upcoming Special Olympics Michigan competition.
A seven-member team represents not only the DOC, but also the Fraternal Order of Police and the Michigan State Police, the Livingston Daily reports.
The team will run from Copper Harbor in the highest tip of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in Keweenaw County to Sterling Heights in Macomb County starting Sept. 14.
The runners will move in shifts for 24 hours a day for five days, running the Flame of Hope to the opening ceremonies of the competition.
“It’s to raise awareness and money for the Special Olympics,” said Pat Herman, one of the runners and a state police officer. “It’s important … It’s a cause I support and I do enjoy running.”
Each runner will cover about 40 miles a day, with the goal being to run each mile in eight minutes or less. A correctional officer will hand off the torch to an FOP member, then to a state police officer, and so on.
The Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) operates worldwide with over 97,000 volunteers spanning 46 countries. They raised more than $1 million in 2014. Since its inception in 1981, it’s raised more than $461 million.
For more information about the run, or how you can help support, check out www.letr.org.