DELAWARE - Nearly 600 law enforcement officers from agencies across Delaware will take part in the 40th Annual Statewide Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Delaware from June 10-12, carrying the Flame of Hope across the state in support of athletes with intellectual disabilities.
The three-day event will feature multiple relay legs stretching from Fenwick Island to Wilmington before concluding at the 2026 Special Olympics Delaware Summer Games Opening Ceremony at the University of Delaware.
Organizers said the Torch Run highlights law enforcement’s long-standing commitment to inclusion and support for Special Olympics athletes. Since its founding, the Delaware Law Enforcement Torch Run has raised more than $13 million to help fund year-round sports training and competition opportunities for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
The upstate leg starts on June 10 at 9 a.m. at New Castle County Police headquarters and travels to the Wilmington Police Department for a 9:30 a.m. ceremony before continuing along Kirkwood Highway to Delaware State Police Troop 6.
The downstate leg begins on June 10 at 3:30 p.m. in Fenwick Island and heads north to the Rehoboth Beach Bandstand, where a ceremony is scheduled for 7 p.m. Following the ceremony, officers and athletes will complete a one-mile run to Grove Park.
On Thursday, June 11, two downstate Torch Run legs will begin in Delmar at 6:15 a.m. and Georgetown Circle at 6:55 a.m. The groups will join in Harrington before continuing to Dover for a 1:45 p.m. ceremony at Legislative Mall.
An upstate run will depart Middletown Police Department at 10:30 a.m. and also arrive in Dover for the ceremony.
The Torch Run concludes Friday, June 12, when the Flame of Hope leaves the Newark Shopping Center at 2:30 p.m. and travels to the University of Delaware's Bob Carpenter Center. The final leg is expected to arrive shortly before the Summer Games Opening Ceremony begins at approximately 4 p.m.
