Algonquin police chief, West Chicago detective in Special Olympics torch run to World Games in Italy

Algonquin Police Chief Dennis Walker is ready to run.

He’s got the distance base, having run in the last two Chicago Marathons and maintaining his training since then. But Walker’s path ahead features tougher terrain and greater responsibility.

He is a team leader for the Law Enforcement Torch Run, which will lead up to the 2025 Special Olympics Winter World Games from March 8 to 15 in Turin, Italy.

Walker is among 86 police officers worldwide selected to carry the Flame of Hope from Greece to Turin. The goal of the run is to raise awareness of and donations for the Special Olympics.

“We’ve been warned to make sure we’re in shape,” Walker said. “We’re going to be in the mountains, the Piedmont region. We’re going to be in Turin.”

Between the weather, altitude changes and running on cobblestone streets, “this is nothing for the faint of heart,” Walker said.

West Chicago Police Detective Sgt. Robbi Peterson also was chosen to serve as a torch runner. He has been involved with Special Olympics Illinois for similar events since 2007.

“By carrying the Flame of Hope, we continue to raise awareness worldwide on a much bigger scale to make sure these athletes are included and never forgotten,” Peterson said.

Peterson and Walker serve on Special Olympics Illinois’ Law Enforcement Torch Run state committee. Involvement in a state organization of Special Olympics is a key reason officers are selected for this detail.

“This is my first time on the world stage. It’s very humbling and a privilege to represent Illinois at the biggest stage possible,” said Peterson, whose team includes officers from Australia, Hawaii, Iceland and the Yukon.

The overseas itinerary starts Feb. 25 in Athens, Greece, to light the torch from the Olympic cauldron. The next day, the runners will fly to Rome, where Pope Francis will bless the flame.

The entourage will proceed by train to Turin. Starting Feb. 28, the Law Enforcement Torch Run will visit surrounding cities in the Piedmont region on a good-will tour raising support for the Winter World Games and its athletes.

The Torch Run will conclude March 8 at a stadium in Turin for the opening ceremonies.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime trip,” Walker said.

Leading a team of 10 to 12 police officers and athletes, he expects 12 days of running, for 2 to 5 miles at a time, with sometimes several segments in a day.

As team leader, he will ensure his group safely transports the torch, calling cadence “like a military battalion,” he said.

Walker and Peterson are veterans of Special Olympics runs and numerous charitable polar plunges. Walker was one of about 100 athletes and officers who participated in the Illinois Law Enforcement Torch Run from Chicago to Orlando for the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games.

Taking buses from city to city and meeting local authorities and government officials at each stop from Chicago to Cleveland to New York City and down the Eastern Seaboard to Florida, Walker called it a “19-day adventure.”

“I equated it to a rock tour bus,” Walker said.

The adventure will continue in Europe.

“It’s a pretty large commitment physically and mentally,” Walker said. “You’re living out of a suitcase, in hotels from city to city, but obviously for the right reason.

“You’re getting each town, each city motivated to follow the Games to not only see local athletes' but international athletes’ accomplishments.”

https://www.dailyherald.com/20250131/news/special-olympics-torch-run-nothing-for-the-faint-of-heart/