Torch Run sheds light on Sanders County
Mathhew Unrau
Valley Press
For the second year in a row the people of Plains and the surrounding area rode their horses around the county living up to the name of their town, Wild Horse Plains.
Mirroring the Pony Express of the Old West, men and women galloped along Montana Highway 28 Wednesday.
Instead of toting mail on their horses they instead were carrying the Special Olympics torch.
Gene Arnold, Sanders County Sheriff, working with Deputy Dave Hedley started the “Pony Express” last year.
They were looking for something unique in their effort to raise money for the Special Olympics.
And, then they came up with the idea to transport the torch by horseback. “Well, that’s different. No one else has tried it yet.”
About 30 members of the community carried the torch on their own horses 47 miles from Plains to Elmo.
The riders averaged 10 miles an hour and made the journey in about five hours.
Arnold started the day off at 9:30 a.m. carrying the torch for the first two miles before passing it off to Norm Myers of Trout Creek.
As Arnold started, he carried the torch on a pole about 10 feet tall that he wedged in a holder on his saddle.
However, the fourth person was allowed to disassemble the torch down to a foot where it could be easily carried.
Many of the people had different reasons for signing up to carry the torch, which includes just loving to ride.
”They just like to ride and that’s what we’re here for, to make some money,” says Arnold with a laugh.
But everyone agrees on the worthiness of the cause. “It’s a good cause,” says Myers. Arnold echoes this sentiment; “It’s probably one of the most worthy causes I’ve been involved in.”
Although everyone that gathered at the corner of highway 28 and 200 on the cold and dreary morning believes in the cause. Many people welcome the ability to carry the torch without running or biking down the highway. Hedley explains that the Pony Express gets mores riders faster than the other two legs of the race.
“We have a lot of horseback enthusiasts,” says Hedley. “It’s the hottest thing in the county as far as excitement. It’s the pinnacle in the torch run.”
Each rider is in charge of gathering pledges, people who donate money in support of that rider. Many of the 30 riders have earned up to 200-300 dollars a piece. All the money that is raised in the Law Enforcement Torch Run is used for the Special Olympics Movement.
While Arnold heads the “Pony Express” leg, Hedley is the coordinator of the Torch Run in the entire Sanders County. This included a running leg that traveled from the Idaho Border down highway 200 where it met the starting point for the Pony Express. The running leg spanned nearly 100 miles and included about 65 runners.
The final leg was ridden on bikes from Elmo up to Kalispell for a distance of 35 miles.
Hedley has been coordinator for three years and has a passion for the Special Olympics that ends and starts with his twin sons that are autistic. “The special Olympics are my passion, being with my sons and watching my sons compete.”
Three years ago Hedley headed to the Kick-off conference in Bozeman for future torch run coordinators. There he was moved by the family-orientated people who worked with the Special Olympics.
“I just got overwhelmed,” says Hedley. “It’s a chance for families to gather together. There’s an outpouring of love from the community and the county. And, I knew that I needed to bring this back to Sanders County especially seeing how the county has reached out to my two boys.”
Hedley says his favorite part of the Special Olympics is giving the competitors the chance to come as close to a normal life as possible, to give them self-confidence and give them “a chance to bask in the limelight.”
Hedley is hoping that through his commitment to the Special Olympics he will receive the honor of being selected to represent the state of Montana in the final leg of the torch run to Athens.