Law Enforcement Torch Run leads to Special Olympics Maine State Summer Games
Despite the hottest conditions of the year so far, area agencies took part in the 2025 Law Enforcement Torch Run to carry the Flame of Hope on June 5. Area law enforcement personnel ran and biked as part of a three-day statewide effort leading up to the start of the Special Olympics Maine State Summer Games. The games took place at the University of Maine from June 6-8 on the Orono campus.
On the morning of June 5 a half dozen Law Enforcement Torch Run participants began their journey at the sheriff’s office on Hudson Avenue to run or bike on the side of Route 15 toward Dover-Foxcroft. With a police escort the group braved temperatures exceeding 80 degrees along the way.
The procession from Guilford to Dover-Foxcroft concluded at the Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce parking lot. There the Flame of Hope was handed off to another group to head down Route 7 to Dexter and then continuing beyond to Newport.
TORCH RUN FOR SPECIAL OLYMPICS — A group of a half dozen ran and biked from the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Office in Guilford to the Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce in Dover-Foxcroft during the morning of June 5 for the 2025 Law Enforcement Torch Run to carry the Flame of Hope. The torch run took place over three days across the state leading up to the Special Olympics Maine State Summer Games at the University of Maine.
Hundreds of law enforcement officers from local, county, state and federal agencies participated in this year’s run, raising awareness and critical funds for over 5,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities across Maine. The Law Enforcement Torch Run is Special Olympics Maine’s largest grassroots fundraising effort and a powerful demonstration of partnership between law enforcement and the communities they serve.
A post on the Dexter Police Department Facebook page thanked the other organizations taking part including the Maine State Police, Maine Warden Service, Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Office, Dover-Foxcroft and Newport police departments and Tri-County Technical Center criminal justice students.
“Those that were running passed the ‘(Flame) of Hope’ to one another giving each an opportunity to carry the torch through our respectful towns,” the post said.
READY TO RUN — Despite temperatures that topped 80 along the way, a half dozen participants ran and biked from Guilford to Dover-Foxcroft in the 2025 Law Enforcement Torch Run to carry the Flame of Hope on June 5 for Special Olympics Maine.
The post said the torch run began in 1981 to help raise awareness to raise funds for the Special Olympics. The state wide event was introduced by Bridgton Police Chief Bob Bell in Maine in 1984.
The Dover-Foxcroft Police Department also thanked on its Facebook page the many agencies taking part to make the torch run a great event. The post said the leg from Guilford to Dover-Foxcroft included officers from the sheriff’s office, Milo Police Department, Somerset County Sheriff’s Office and Mountain View Corrections.
Special Olympics Maine’s 2025 State Summer Games featured more than 2,100 athletes and coaches from every county in Maine participating in a weekend full of competition, celebration and community. With the addition of volunteers, families and fans, the event drew over 3,000 people to Orono.
POLICE ESCORT — A local group travels down Route 15 in Guilford, approaching Herring Brothers Meats, on June 5 as part of the 2025 Law Enforcement Torch Run.
Athletes, ranging in age from 7 to over 70, competed in sports such as bocce and track & field. The Young Athletes Festival on Friday morning offered children ages 2–7 a chance to participate in developmentally appropriate, inclusive play and fitness activities.
The event was the culmination of months of hard work and training for athletes. The State Summer Games are about more than just sport, friendship, health and community. Athletes stay in dorms, visit the Olympic Village (hosted by youth leaders), receive free health screenings through the Healthy Athletes program and enjoy social events like a Saturday night dance.