Twenty-four years ago, on its 13,500 mile journey to the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, the Torch Run passed through Carbondale.  It is my guess that Redstone, per capita, had more 2002 winter Olympic torch bearers than any town in the country.   

 It was no coincidence that the flame lit in Greece and traveling through 48 states found its way through Carbondale, CO.  Our Redstone neighbor, Peter Bone, had first-hand experience when it comes to Olympic Torch relays.  Peter, who worked for Alem International, was part their team that managed the 1996 Atlantic Torch Relay.  Alem International was also awarded the contract to plan and execute the 2002 Salt Lake City Torch Relay.  Peter’s role, as technical manager, was to help plan and manage the day to day  movement of the flame.

Peter said it takes approximately  two years to plan such a massive event, culminating in 65 straight days of runners moving the flame from Atlanta to Salt Lake City.   Peter’s planning for the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics began in 1999.  In 2000 each runner was vetted by their community.  Folks submitted 100 word essays honoring local candidates.  Each essay was then scored by a jury of local educators.   June Spencer, Ron Sorter and Becky Bone were chosen to represent us.

Then came the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the New York’s Twin Towers and Washington’s Pentagon.  Peter shared that the Torch Run was almost cancelled.  Instead, in the shadow of the 911 attack our nation rallied;  we united with a strong sense of Patriotism (with a capital P).

The 13,500 mile run began on December 4, 2001 and involved 11,500 runners.  The crowds forming as the torch passed through were huge. The Spencers had just relocated to tiny Nathrop Colorado and June ran the torch on the eastern side of Independence pass.  The flame arrived in Carbondale on February 2.

Ron Sorter wrote in his journal  “A guy handed me my torch, turned a hex wrench in it, and said, ‘I’m turning on the propane. When the flame arrives, aim your torch at it, and it’ll fire up by itself.’  A torchbearer ran up with the flame, and it jumped onto my torch. The road traffic was behind barricades. The media van was in front of me, filled with cameras, and I walked up the middle of the highway.  I was the only person on Earth carrying the sacred Olympic flame.”

Ron passed it on to Becky Bone, she was joined by her husband Peter who took a celebratory jog with her before he had to focus again on his duties and move on to the next station.

Tucker Farris, a second grader at Carbondale Community School, recalls his feeling that the Olympics, which had once seemed like a far away event that took place only on TV, was not only real, but tangible in the moment the torch was lit on the concrete basketball court in the same fields he played soccer on during daily recess.

This single sacred Olympic flame, lit in Greece, was relayed into Salt Lake City and arrived just in time for the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics on February 8 in a large part due to Peter Bone’s efforts.  As if this wasn’t enough, Peter went on to be part of the 2004 Greece Torch Relay which traveled around the world.