photo by: Douglas County Sheriff's Office

Officers from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office and Lawrence Police Department participate in the Kansas Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics on Tuesday, May 29, 2018.

Dozens of Douglas County law enforcement agents and Special Olympians were pounding the pavement for a good cause on Tuesday.

The group was participating in the annual Kansas Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics, Sgt. Kristen Channel of the sheriff’s office said. She said runners comprised about 30 agents from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and Lawrence Police Department, plus about 10 Special Olympians.

The group started running about 8 a.m. Tuesday at the Law Enforcement Center in downtown Lawrence and were heading to Ottawa via U.S. Highway 59, Channel said. In Ottawa, the runners planned to pass the torch to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and Ottawa Police Department.

Channel said a few runners endeavored to run the entire way — nearly the length of a marathon — while others would participate in sections.

Now in its 35th year, the Law Enforcement Torch Run raises money for the Special Olympics. The event began in Kansas in 1979 and now involves 85,000 officers and has raised over $500 million dollars for Special Olympics in 43 countries, according to Special Olympics Kansas.