The 2015 Special Olympics World Games torch run made a stop at historic Battleship Iowa Tuesday morning as the Flame of Hope makes its way to the Opening Ceremony in Los Angeles this weekend.
Deemed the official torch for the Special Olympics, the Flame of Hope has been traveling across the world to Los Angeles since it was formally lit in Athens in May.
The torch was run down Sixth Street in San Pedro and up the ramps on to the Battleship USS Iowa.
Runners stopped for a brief ceremony before continuing the torch's journey to Los Angeles.
"It was great, inspiring," said Andrew Bossenmeyer, a spokesman for the battleship.
The torch is carried by law enforcement officers from across the country and Special Olympic athletes as part of the 13-day Law Enforcement Torch Run Final Leg, which will make its way through five Southern California cities on Tuesday.
The Flame of Hope made its way through 16 SoCal cities Monday, and some cities including Cypress, Irvine and Newport Beach hosted ceremonies in honor of the torch's arrival.
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"Just seeing these athletes that come from local communities, the United States, and across the world, it's a victory in itself," said Cypress Mayor Rob Johnson, who awaited the torch's arrival with community members on the steps of the city's council chambers.
When the runners neared the steps and saw the large American flag, the fire department, and the high school band and color guard waiting for them, they "were probably going about 15 miles per hour," Johnson said.
The three torches will cover 4,648 miles total during the Law Enforcement Torch Run Final Leg, and will be combined before the Opening Ceremony, a Special Olympics spokesman said. One torch will light the caldron at the Los Angeles Coliseum, home of the 1932 and 1984 Olympics Opening Ceremonies.
A schedule of the Flame of Hope's route to Los Angeles can be viewed here.
