HYDE PARK – First responders, including firefighters, law enforcement, and related agencies, participated in the in Dutchess and Ulster Counties on Friday.  One of the primary runners is Dutchess County Sheriff’s Sergeant Alonzo Montanya, who helps organize the run that begins at the FDR Presidential Library in Hyde Park and travels south to Poughkeepsie, before heading across the Walkway Over the Hudson to Highland before returning across the Mid-Hudson Bridge to Poughkeepsie for a celebration at Mahoney’s Steakhouse.

Special Olympics New York currently serves more than 45,000 athletes throughout the state. They train for weeks and months to prepare for local, regional, and statewide competitions. They are supported by more than 5,000 coaches and 4,300 volunteers. Athletes are never charged to participate in our programs because of fundraising ventures, including the Law Enforcement Torch Run.

With participants gathered at the FDR Library’s Wallace Center, Montanya noted that 2026 marks the 40th year of the torch run.  The 2026 Summer Games are taking place in Utica on June 5-7, and several officials, including Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino, were present in Hyde Park to thank the runners and wish the Special Olympics athletes luck ahead of the games.