Special Olympics Torch travels through Atascadero
Courtesy photos.
–The 2016 Special Olympics Torch relay passed through Atascadero again this year, and a nice crowd gathered at City Hall for the event. Law Enforcement from Paso Robles and Templeton passed the torch to the Atascadero Police Department at City Hall at approximately 10:15 a.m.
The Atascadero Police Department, Special Olympics representatives, Mayor O’Malley, Mayor Pro Tem Moreno and City staff were on hand to cheer on the police officers and the athletes.
The torch on its way to Long Beach for the summer games. The San Luis Obispo County Probation Dept. carried it into town. It was picked up by Atascadero Police Department at City Hall and run to Atascadero State Hospital. State Hospital Police ran it down El Camino Real to Walnut Ave in Garden Farms, where the California Highway Patrol ran it to the Park and Ride in Santa Margarita.
A Special Olympian and top road runner, Matthew Shuck, has run with the torch for about 16 years. For the last 4 years he has run it all the way from City Hall to Santa Margarita – about 9.5 miles. He did the same this year. This year he also challenged the APD to have someone run the whole way with him, and Commander Joe Allen agreed to do it.
Commander Joe Allen with Atascadero Police Department is on the far right and the gentleman holding the flag is Matt Shuck, a Special Olympic athlete. The person on the far left is Sergeant Caleb Davis from the Atascadero Police Department. The three others are CHP personnel.
