A flame lit in Athens, Greece, began making its way around Alaska Wednesday, carried in several torches by teams of law enforcement officers and Special Olympians from around the world.

The ceremonies began when a helicopter carrying the Olympic fire swooped into the parking lot at BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. headquarters off the Seward Highway, raising a cloud of dirt and snow.

The 2001 Special Olympics World Winter Games Alaska start Sunday at Sullivan Arena, but the hoopla leading up to them is already under way.

BP, a $2 million sponsor of the Games, was host to the unveiling of the Flame of Hope.

But first, breakfast.

Michael Feehan of Dublin, Ireland, chowed down on eggs, ham, muffins and coffee in the BP cafeteria, along with nearly 80 other police officers and 10 Special Olympics athletes.

Officers have been fund-raisers and traditional guardians of the flame for the past 20 years. This year, they came from every state but Nevada, and from Canada, Ireland and several other countries.

They were fueling up at breakfast for a short run from BP on the Seward Highway to Town Square for a mayoral greeting.

Many of the officers were runners before they became backers of the Special Olympics, an organization that promotes athletic events for people with mental retardation.

Jacek Hadrulski (call him Jack) of Warsaw, Poland, was recruited by his bosses eight years ago because of his job -- instructor at the police training center, including self-defense, boxing and judo.

"I never supposed I would start acting for people with mental retardation," he said. But he's stuck with it for eight years, and visited the United States 10 times.

Jeffrey Hardel, a city police officer in Wausau, Wis., said he's a plodder, maybe not a real athlete. But when he heard about the torch runs 14 years ago, "I thought it would be cool -- the camaraderie among officers, and working for a great cause."

Feehan joined the Special Olympics movement in 1990 when he was a member of an underwater police unit in Dublin. He swam across a river carrying a lighted torch for the Ireland games. "I was warned, don't come back if you lose the flame," he said.

Swimming on his back, he made it, and when the Special Olympics Summer Games move to Ireland in 2003, he'll be "not quite in charge (of law enforcement support), but I'll be doing the work, you know."

This year, two Alaska state troopers are sharing the rewards for long hours of volunteering.

Sgt. Brandon Anderson of Seward is among the torch runners.

And Lt. David Hudson of Anchorage, deputy director of the trooper detachment that covers Kotzebue, Bethel and Nome, has been in charge of the flame since it was lit in Greece on Feb. 17. "We never let it out of our sight," he said.

Hudson spent the night with the flame Tuesday in Room 2010 of the Anchorage Marriott Downtown.

The original fire material in Athens was a clump of grass that was lighted Feb. 17 by concentrating rays of the sun onto it with a mirror. The flame was split into several separate fires so there'll be a backup in case one goes out. Lighter fluid keeps the fires going. Sometimes, such as on planes, the fires are carried in brass miner's lamps that are nearly enclosed.

The torches used for runs and ceremonies are custom-made, with silver cups at the top, and faux ivory bases shaped like walrus tusks for the Alaska Games. A grizzly bear, moose, walrus and flowers are etched on the bases.

At BP, hundreds of employees gathered in a parking lot to watch the trooper helicopter deliver the fire about 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Special Olympian Sarah Maas of Anchorage, a cross-country skier, welcomed the torch runners and introduced the athletes participating in the run.

Max Everton, a Special Olympic swimmer and a torch runner from Virginia Beach, Va., told the crowd, "My heart is smiling."

Then he yelled, "Let's get running!"

The 90-odd runners, outfitted in black pants and jackets with blue trim, trekked to the Town Square, where Mayor George Wuerch was waiting. From there, the torch runners fanned out into teams, driving, flying and running torches lit from the original one to schools and Olympics sponsors in Anchorage, Wasilla, Palmer, Juneau, Kodiak, Fairbanks and Sitka.

The next big challenge will be Saturday, when the entire group runs in relays 53 miles, from Wasilla to Anchorage. That run culminates in a 4 p.m. public ceremony at the Egan Center. It will be the last chance to see the torch until the opening event Sunday night.

Reporter Rosemary Shinohara can be reached at rshinohara@adn.com or at 257-4340.