For the sixth year, Major Dave Hutton of the Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office is covering over 200 miles in seven days while completing the Virginia Law Enforcement Torch Run Bristol to Richmond leg in support of Special Olympics Virginia. Each day Major Hutton will report on his journey, as he works his way back to Richmond for Friday’s 2004 Summer Games Opening Ceremony. You can send encouraging words to Major Hutton by e-mailing him at DHutton97@aol.com
Day 7 (June 11)
It's over (at least for a year).
Today's run tops off another great adventure across the commonwealth of Virginia. We began the final assault on the Robins Center at 8:00 a.m. in Hopewell. Several officers from the Region 4 departments were there to begin the run. We were quite impressive as we entered Ft. Lee after cruising down the road a bit. I was waiting to see if they asked us for identification as we entered the gate, but we must have looked trustworthy this morning. We passed the torch to a group of army officers and began our trek through the base. Hat's off to the Ft. Lee M.P.'s for their bike support that lasted for the entire run through Petersburg, Colonial Heights, and Chesterfield. Kudo's to Applebee's Restaurants for their support of the Torch Run by providing water stops along the Chesterfield County route.
The next stop was Forest Hill Ave. where we passed the torch to the Federal agencies staged there for the run through to Tuckahoe. The FBI is always prepared to go the distance, and they did in record time. We arrived at Tuckahoe early in the evening. Our torch was the first to arrive at the squad building, and the first to enjoy the fine dinner prepared by the folks with Good Sam's.
The only mile left for me to complete was the final leg. This was a juggling act due to the weather. At this stage in the day, I had to keep moving in order to make sure joints and muscles did not take it upon themselves to lock up. We were blessed with a brief break in the rain and ran the final mile to the Robins Center, lit torches in hand. The athletes were moved inside due to the weather, but this did not dampen their spirits. We arrived inside the Robins Center to thunderous applause.
My total miles for the day stands at 21, a bit off from my goal. My total mileage for the week stands at 177. Impressive in some circles, but not for the Special Olympian who gives everything they have each time they compete.
As I have stated before, and will do so again and again, this is the huge return on such a small investment. Until next year....
Gotta Sleep
Major Dave
Day 6 (June 10, 2004) began just as planned at 0dark30. We assembled at the Lynchburg PD around 5:30 a.m. in order to make Charlottesville by dinner. There was a fairly large contingent of Lynchburg officers there to start the parade north. I was provided a driver for the first leg that took us through Campbell County, Amherst, and Nelson County. The scenery was great and the officers were enthusiastic about the event. The department uses a standard "leap frog" approach to things, allowing a motor home to "leap" forward to the next mile marker in order to change runners. I would just keep running in order to get more mileage before the temps got out of hand. That was sooner than later. The sun broke through the clouds and by 8:00 a.m. we were feeling the heat of the day.
At this stage in the game, even Gatorade loses its appeal. I was feeling every mile today, just trying to make it to the next stop. We were delayed by a major thunderstorm in the latter part of the day, but it was temporary. After the storm passed, we continued north. We met the Albemarle County Police Department at the county line. Because this was unexpected, they did not have a spare driver.
After logging 28 miles earlier in the day, I did not put up any argument. Besides, they took great pride in being able to finish off a 20 mile section of today's route. Kudos to the Albemarle County Police Department for doing a major portion of the route for the first time. They will begin again early tomorrow morning and head south to Richmond.
My personal goal for this year was to attract participation from jurisdictions that, historically, had not been involved. We were successful in doing so with the addition of various jurisdictions and organizations that did not participate in the torch run previously. Now that they are involved in the Run, they will carry that a little further in years to come.
I'm looking forward to tomorrow and running with my fellow deputies from the Chesterfield County Sheriff's Office. My day will begin in Hopewell and end at the opening ceremonies tomorrow evening. I have been spreading the word about the opening ceremonies and the games. This will bring home every reason there is for me to do this crazy jaunt across the state each year. Watching the smiles on the athletes' faces as we merely "show up" is amazing. Such a small price to pay to get such a huge return on your investment.
Day 5 (June 9, 2004)
There are just three words to sum up today's run...HOT,HOT,HOT. That is probably an understatement, but compared to the weather we have had over the past 4 days, it was a scorcher. Sunscreen was a most and was applied regularly. The day began at Salem's Longwood Park. Lt. Guthrie and his Chief were there to see us off today. They were surprised to see me upright after stashing me in my hotel room the night before. I asked it they had received a disturbance call from the Western Sizzlin Restaurant the night before. I was ravaging the buffet and was the last customer to leave the joint. When they say "all u can eat" I take it literally. As I have said before, this is the perfect vacation; run, sleep, eat, not necessarily in that order. I have managed to keep my weight loss under control. I'm still considered a "Clydesdale" in running circles.
Today's long route took us about 9 hours to complete. The state police joined in at their usual stop and ran through to Bedford. The Bedford City Police Department is to be commended for carrying the flame of hope beyond their jurisdiction and through to the Campbell County line. Kudos to their Chief who ran with his crew for a good part of the day. The Liberty University Police Department concluded the run in a touch relay that ended at their new security office.
A special thanks to Capt. Chuck Hart for his endurance behind the wheel of the Enterprise Dodge Ram 1500 pick-up truck. "Sounds just like a race car commercial now don't it." Oh, by the way, we had to answer the question all day..."Does that thing have a hemi?"
My mileage count suffered from heat exhaustion today, only making it to 27 miles for the day. The last few miles were tough. My skin was raw from the sun. Tomorrow will be a long day. We get going at 0dark30, or 5:30 a.m. in standard terms. The run will take us from the Lynchburg P.D. to Charlottesville. There is some good news...the county of Albemarle will meet us tomorrow at the Nelson County line. This is the first year that has happened. More local involvement means increased local awareness. I look forward to Charlottesville and Chief Longo's appearance at the finish. Chief Longo is the Chair-elect for the Torch Run and will take the reigns next year. More to follow...
Day 4 (June 8, 2004)
We gathered at 8:00 am on the campus of Virginia Tech. The day looked to be ideal for the long run to Salem, VA. Once again, the familiar faces were abundant. I'm beginning to establish a reputation as “the crazy officer who runs all over the state every year.”
The run slowly moved off campus and onto Route 460. We met the Montgomery County contingent at the county line and it was very impressive. The combination of the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, Blacksburg Police Department, and Christiansburg Police Department, made for about 60 runners and bikers. This created approximately a quarter of a mile of Torch Run madness that worked wonders for spreading a positive message and increasing awareness for Special Olympics.
The sun returned with a vengeance later in the day, followed by a very welcome rain shower. We concluded the run at Salem, in the rain. Lieutenant Tim Guthrie of the Salem Police Department met us at Longwood Park with lunch provided by Hardee’s. Lt. Guthrie and his fellow officers do a magnificent job with the Torch Run each year.
My total mileage surprised even me, when the total rang up at 32 miles for the day. My body is feeling every mile. I'm looking forward to moving closer to my home tomorrow, running to Lynchburg, and then on to Charlottesville on Thursday.
Day 3 (June 7, 2004)
The day began at the Radford Police Department at around 8:00 a.m. Several officers from the police department and the army joined in the fun for the day. The base commander for the Radford Arsenal and a couple of reservists ran the entire route with me through one of the most grueling and steep routes we will encounter this week. Fog was a bit of a problem early, but lifted in time for the run to begin. The temperatures were a bit warmer than yesterday, but plenty of cloud cover made the run very pleasant. Today’s route took us over to Virginia Tech where there is definite proof of what a winning football team can do for a college campus…construction everywhere you look. The entire route is just shy of 18 miles. I completed each grueling mile with a great bunch of officers, but my totals are down slightly. I was considering the idea of turning around and running back to Radford, but that notion quickly left my skewed senses. This was a needed break now that my legs are starting to feel every mile. Just a side note…Virginia should not have any problems with overpopulation of certain vermin such as beaver, squirrel, opossum and rabbit. I have seen enough roadkill to guarantee successful population control. No offense to the highway department.
Day 2 (June 6, 2004)
Today proved to be a much warmer than yesterday with more sun than clouds. Accordingly, I’m feeling like a lobster even after applying massive amounts of sunscreen. My route began this morning with the Wytheville Police Department from the town I grew up in. Several familiar faces were there to accompany the flame of hope to the county line. After getting the torch from the Sheriff’s Office, we proceeded to move through the town, getting a lot of attention from early morning risers on their way to church. The run through town is very nostalgic for me and brings back memories of my childhood when things were so much simpler. As a child, we would cover the streets of the Torch Run route on our bicycles and think we had traveled to the outer edge of the universe. Now it just seems like a short run through town. The support and participation from the Wytheville P.D. and a few state troopers helped to gather attention and spread the good word of the LETR and Special Olympics. We struggled to preserve officer safety through some of the truck stops in the county. This may be a good place to stage a truck convoy fundraiser. The truckers seemed to be very officer friendly. I could hear Sgt. Dean Jones saying in his very friendly way, “they have to be friendly, they travel the roads of Virginia.” My mileage for the day was down a bit from yesterday at 24 miles. I will need to pick it up later in the week. Tomorrow will be a much needed rest period. The total route will only be about 18 miles long. We travel from Radford to the campus of Virginia Tech. I hope to run it all and take a breather tomorrow evening.
Day 1 (June 5, 2004)
The waiting is over and the running has begun. I arrived in Bristol Virginia this morning at approximately 7:30 a.m. and was greeted by familiar faces. This is my 6th year running across the state. Many of the officers have become friends over the years. I can always count on any support or assistance from this group. The first day of my journey across the state to benefit Virginia’s Special Athletes turned out to be a juggling act. It seems that we were competing with several high school graduations and state championships for the high school track teams. At least we had great cooperation from Mother Nature. The temperatures remained in the 60’s for the majority of the day due to cloud cover. The same clouds produced no rain, or too little to mention. The grand total for mileage covered thus far in the run stands at 26. This will need to improve as the week passes. Tomorrow I will run with my hometown officers through Wytheville and continue on to the Montgomery County line.
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