Torch Run cyclists peddle through county

Cyclists with the S.C. Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics head through Laurens County Monday afternoon.

Cyclists participating in the S.C. Law Enforcement Torch Run rolled through Laurens County on their way to Charleston Monday. The three-day ride is part of a series of law-enforcement-backed fundraisers for Special Olympics.

Will Richter, a deputy with the Sheriff’s Office of Greenville County, said the ride, which includes stops in Newberry and Orangeburg before concluding in Mount Pleasant, has raised more than $5,500 this year. Statewide, events related to the Torch Run are expected to raise more than $1 million for Special Olympics.

“It makes a tangible difference,” Richter said. “I feel like we get more out of it than the athletes do.”

More than a dozen cyclists were making the trip. Most of them were associated with law enforcement, including two husband-and-wife teams from the S.C. Highway Patrol.