FLEMING ISLAND – Law enforcement officials will trade their green and blue uniforms for purple T-shirts Friday for the annual Florida Special Olympics Torch Run.

The annual event will include a new route so more can cheer on the men in blue as they raise money to send the county’s Special Olympic athletes to the state games at Walt Disney World.

“I met with a lot of the other agencies, and they saw success in having more participation by making the run more of an event,” said Special Olympic Coordinator Sgt. Zach Cox of the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. “Rather than start and finish and everyone going home, we’re going to start at the Publix at Hibernia and finish at the Plantation Sports Complex. We’ll have some food trucks there. Students from the elementary school (Thunderbolt) and the Fleming Island band will be cheering. We have some special things planned.

“I know for sure we had one lockdown for lunch. And then Walmart also reached out and wanted to help this year, so they’re going to set up a table with some goodies. Yeah, it should be fun.”

The field is technically limited to first responders, but others may be included, Cox said. However, to join the run, they must contact Cox at (904) 213-6634 or zcox@claysheriff.com to be considered on “a case-by-case basis.”

“If you want to participate, come buy a shirt, and you can participate in the run,” he said. “You know, we could get 100-plus people to show up because Fleming Island is a very high-running community. We might not have enough shirts. They can participate in multiple ways if they want to participate. All they need is the Torch Run shirt, and they can contact me. It’s how we did it last year if they want to. We want to all be uniform. We all want to be there together as one group, and you know, we don’t want it to look like the Gate River Run where we’re all wearing different colored shirts and different things like that.”

However, unlike in previous years, the run is open to walkers and bike riders.

The 2.3-mile run will start at 10 a.m. at the Publix at 865 Hibernia Road on Fleming Island and cross U.S. Highway 17 to the Black Creek Bike Trail to Village Square Parkway. The route will turn northwest onto Town Center Boulevard and left at Old Hard Road before turning left into the Plantation Sports Complex.

Cox said those interested in supporting the run should arrive at Plantation Sports Complex by 9:30 a.m. They will be shuttled to the starting line by the CCSO’s Explorers and Police Athletic League groups. They will return to the park to cheer on the finishers as they cross under the ceremonial U.S. American flag hoisted by a Clay County Fire Rescue ladder truck.

Special Olympic athletes will award runners medals.