More than 100 people come together in Pittsburgh for torch run supporting the Special Olympics

The Mount Lebanon community came together on Friday for its first-ever hometown torch run, which raised money and awareness for a good cause. 

It was a combined effort by the Mount Lebanon Police Department, the school district, and the community at large to take to the streets and raise money for the Special Olympics. That effort helped light the way for thousands of Special Olympics athletes. 

"The goal here was to make it as big as we could, and get a lot of people connected," said Sgt. Ty Kegarise with the Mount Lebanon Police Department. 

Eric Cushing, the VP of Strategic Partnerships with the Special Olympics Pa., said it will be the "largest single-legged torch run" they've done. 

More than 100 people laced up to run 2 miles on the busy Washington Street, and they were greeted by cheers that followed them the whole way. 

The majority of the participants were students. 

"My brother has special needs, so I've always been around that, and it's just a good thing to do," said sophomore Alan Gunter. "I want to help others." 

For many who participated on Friday, the run is more than just a walk in the park; it's more about getting out and supporting everyone's ability to be an athlete. 

"Being involved in anything Special Olympics is something really fulfilling," said Sgt. Kegarise. "It's so nice to see the smile on the athletes' faces, their ability to participate in the same events everyone else gets to do." 

Torch runs for the Special Olympics aren't new, but hometown torch events began last year. 

"Our goal is bringing these hometown torch runs to connect with departments where we hadn't previously been able to connect in a big way," Cushing explained. 

Friday's run helped support 16,000 athletes both locally and statewide in having the ability to follow their dreams, and the hope for Mount Lebanon is to host the same event, but even bigger, next year.