Moriarty Police, Torrance County Sheriff’s Office Escort Special Olympics Torch Through Town

MORIARTY, N.M. — The “Flame of Hope” returned to the streets of Moriarty on Wednesday, drawing local law enforcement, community members, and civic leaders together for a 2.3-mile run to support Special Olympics New Mexico.

The local leg of the annual New Mexico Law Enforcement Torch Run kicked off at 9 a.m. from Lisa’s Truck Stop on the east side of town. Escorted by a joint contingent of local officers and personnel from the Torrance County Sheriff’s Office, runners carried the torch westward across Moriarty, wrapping up the route at Chili Hills Restaurant.

The event marked a revival of the tradition in the community after a brief hiatus. Moriarty Police Officer Robert Page, who spearheaded the effort to bring the torch run back to town and coordinated the logistics, said the initiative bridges a vital connection between area law enforcement and the athlete community.

“We’re here for the Special Olympians, we’re their guardians, they look up to us,” Page said. “People us that we’re bringing this tradition back here, and we’re starting it up again, is going to bring others out. There are so many events we could do throughout the year, and we’re going to keep doing it. This is just the beginning.”

Page, who previously served as an agency coordinator for the Special Olympics at a prior law enforcement agency, took the lead on organizing the Moriarty route after attending a statewide introductory conference at the Santa Ana Casino in January.

He noted that Moriarty Police Chief Chief Adan Urbina enthusiastically approved bringing the fundraising and awareness campaign back to the department, working in tandem with county law enforcement to ensure a strong local presence.

The Law Enforcement Torch Run is a global grassroots public awareness and fundraising campaign. Law enforcement personnel—known as the “Guardians of the Flame”—escort the torch through various communities leading up to the Special Olympics State Summer Games. The statewide relay routes began on May 18 and are scheduled to culminate with the final leg’s arrival in Albuquerque on Friday, May 29, coinciding with the start of the summer games.

Moriarty Mayor Steve Anaya, 70, joined the effort, noting that the volunteer turnout from both municipal departments and the Torrance County Sheriff’s Office highlights the civic-minded culture common to smaller New Mexico municipalities.

“That’s one thing I think in the smaller community, you get a lot of participation that you might not see in the bigger communities,” Anaya said. “Everybody volunteered to come out, so it’s great to see the participation.”

Anaya, who participated in the multi-mile trek alongside city emergency personnel, sheriff’s deputies, and municipal employees, credited his family’s long history of public service as his motivation for staying hands-on with local causes.

“My dad’s always kind of drilled into us that you give back to your community,” Anaya said. “Great community, great schools, everything really works out well.”