LEWISTON – Dozens of police officers will be running at a good gait across the Twin Cities Wednesday. And they won’t even be chasing anyone.

At some point, winded Auburn cops will meet Lewiston police on the Longley Bridge. From there, Lewiston cops will begin the sprint through their own city before handing off a torch to the next town.

And so it goes. Tuesday marks the start of the yearly Torch Run for Special Olympics of Maine.

Nearly 700 police officers around the state will cover 800 miles of road as they carry the torch from one city or town to the next. The running will continue until Friday, when the torch ends up at the Special Olympics summer games site at the University of Maine in Orono.

Organizers said the Torch Run and related events have raised over a million dollars for the Special Olympics in Maine since 1985. It has also helped recruit hundreds of new volunteers, coaches, sponsors and new athletes.

In Maine, several police departments participate in the program in various ways leading up to the start of the games. Officers wait tables, pump gas, wash cars, hang out on store rooftops or even shave their heads.

This year, officers in Augusta, Winthrop and Gardiner have volunteered to shave their heads in honor of the event.

In the Twin Cities Wednesday, Auburn police will run the torch from the Minot town line to the Longley Bridge. At about 2 p.m., they are expected to hand over the torch to Lewiston officers, who will then make the long jog down Lisbon Street where cops in that city will take over.

Special Olympics is an international organization dedicated to empowering individuals with mental retardation to become physically fit, productive and respected members of society through sports training and competition.

Special Olympics offers children and adults with mental retardation year-round training and competition in Olympic-type sports. There is no charge to participate in the events.

Special Olympics currently serves 1 million people with mental retardation in more than 200 programs in more than 150 countries. That number is expected to double by 2005.