The Rockingham County Sheriff's office and other volunteers ran Wednesday to help raise awareness for the Special Olympics. They carried a torch down Route 11 from New Market to Harrisonburg.

A new group of runners will take the torch from Harrisonburg to Charlottesville Thursday morning. Then it will head on to Richmond.

The torch run kicks off the summer games to be held this weekend at the University of Richmond.

Torch runner Robin Breeden, of Timberville, says, "It was probably in 1999 that I worked with the mentally handicapped residents and was in Richmond for the Special Olympics. So I said one day I am going to help do the torch."

The torch run will help raise $1,000,000 for the Special Olympics this year.