COEUR d'ALENE - On Tuesday, Wayne Longo began a journey across the country to promote this year's Special Olympics.

It's a journey the former Coeur d'Alene chief of police likened to the one undertaken by the namesake character in the classic film "Forrest Gump." For the next month, Longo will travel 7,000 miles, running with the Special Olympics torch for the Law Enforcement Torch Run and said he was humbled to get the opportunity to have one last adventure as an officer.

"You can never stop giving back," Longo told The Press. "My feeling is that I'm going to make a positive memory every day on this trip."

Last week, members of Special Olympics International lit two miner's lamps from the Olympic flame cauldron in Greece. The lamps were then flown to Washington, D.C., and driven to Augusta, Maine, by a member of Longo's team.

"We are responsible to care for them and make sure the lanterns are maintained," Longo said.

Throughout the journey, Longo said, his team runs with groups of people who have donated money to the Special Olympics for the privilege of running with the torch. There are two other teams, one that started in Washington, D.C., and another that started in Miami, Fla., and the trio will travel through every state.

"My team has the longest distance as we zig-zag across the country," Longo said.

Longo added that former Bonners Ferry Chief of Police Dave Kramer and his wife are leading the team that left from the nation's capital. Officers began the Law Enforcement Torch Run in 1981 and have raised an average of $30 million a year for the Special Olympics ever since.

"It has to be a police officer that does this," Longo, who has been involved with the program since its inception, said. "We are the keepers of the flame."

Although Longo said his knees are shot after running 35 marathons, he said he is participating in the torch run because his pain pales in comparison to what others have dealt with and overcome.

"My biggest challenge is holding back the tears," Longo said. "I'm here because I truly believe in giving back until I die and to thank God for giving me a career that cares."

On the first day of the journey, Longo said a young Special Olympic athlete named Molly carried the torch. She held the torch high the entire segment, Longo said, and had a smile on her face in spite of the obvious pain.

When the day was over, Longo was asked if Molly's mother could take a picture of the former chief of police and the young athlete together to commemorate the day's events.

"It was impossible to hold the tears," Longo said. "That is what law enforcement is all about."

All three teams will converge on Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. on July, 10 to pass the torch to another team. That team will run the torch through California for 10 days before the world games begin in Los Angeles.

To track the progress of Longo's team, visit www.unifiedrelay.org/routes/north.