Tears streamed down the face of Carol Sobkow-Alloway as she made her way down the final stretch of St. Albert Trail late Wednesday afternoon with the Olympic flame held high above her head.
When the moment finally arrived, Sobkow-Alloway was all smiles as she waved to friends and family, along with the hundreds of people who lined the trail to see the flame pass by.
In the final few steps of her 300-metre run, she could no longer keep her emotions in check and burst into a stream of tears.
“It’s hard to put it into words. It’s such a huge honour and privilege to carry it,” said Sobkow-Alloway, who was swarmed by a crowd of camera-happy onlookers who frantically snapped photos of her holding the torch at the completion of her run.
“There is so much negativity out there so to have the torch come through is something positive and happy in our lives. I think it means a lot of unity across this country. I was just savouring the moment and thinking how lucky I was to be chosen to do it.”
The arrival of the Olympic torch in St. Albert lured hundreds of residents to the relay route, which began at the north end of St. Albert Trail, then dipped passed St. Albert Place, before returning back to the Trail and continuing on to Edmonton.
Decked out in Canadian apparel, there was a frenzy of excitement among the crowd, who began to sing O Canada and relished the fact they had witnessed a piece of history come through their community.
As the torchbearer shuttle inched along St. Albert Trail and the crowds of spectators grew larger by the moment, the anticipation of carrying the torch reached new heights for Heather Gardiner, who suddenly found herself with tears in her eyes.
Her arms were shaking when the time came to light her torch and carry the flame high above her head for all to see.
“I just waved to everybody and had a good time,” said Gardiner, who caught the Olympic fever while working at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary before moving to St. Albert in 2008.
“Just the pride of being part of this experience is amazing.”
The torch arrived in St. Albert around 3:15 p.m. after travelling through Strathcona County, Fort Saskatchewan and Namao.
Brandon Solyom of Edmonton was the third person to carry the torch through St. Albert.
He was so focused on not falling down that he doesn’t even remember a lot of the run.
“It was a little nerve wracking. I am not used to that kind of attention so I didn’t want to trip,” said Solyom, whose Olympic torch relay moment was better than he had expected. “It was amazing. There was people that you didn’t even know cheering you on like you’re their best friend and it was really neat.”
After leaving St. Albert, the torch headed through the streets of Edmonton and made an overnight stay at the legislature.
The next day it continued through Stony Plain and Spruce Grove, where it will then zigzag across southern and central Alberta before leaving the province on Jan. 24.
The Olympic torch relay began its lengthy 45,000-kilometre journey across Canada Oct. 30 at Mile Zero of the Trans-Canada Highway in Victoria, B.C.
