``It's that Reardon woman in Augusta,' they'll say. `She's the reason the torch is late,''' joked Mrs. Reardon, who is legally blind and has rheumatoid arthritis.

She and 51 other Olympic torchbearers from the Augusta area were honored by Augusta-Richmond County Mayor-Chairman Larry Sconyers in a ceremony Tuesday at the Municipal Building.

``We want to thank our local heroes for their inspiring ideas and being civic role models,'' Mr. Sconyers said. ``It truly is an honor.''

The area torchbearers were nominated by letter and then selected by a 23-member task force based on their achievements in one of four areas: outstanding volunteer work; community leadership roles; acts of generosity; or extraordinary feats or accomplishments.

Mrs. Reardon said she always envisioned Olympic torchbearers as strapping athletes with well-defined muscles, but officials with the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games assured her that she will be fine for the job.

For all torchbearers, not just those with physical impairments, there will be an Olympic escort to walk or run with them. In addition to the community heroes, two former Olympians with ties to the area will carry the torch. Hephzibah's Ray Mercer, who boxed in the 1988 Olympics, will carry the torch through Augusta. Martinez's Michael Burley, a pentathlon competitor in the 1976 Olympic games, will carry the torch through his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.

Most of the torchbearers attended the ceremony but duty called for a few, including Zachary Bromer, a student at Augusta Preparatory School who had several tests he couldn't miss, and Linda Johnson, a 19-year-old freshman at Guilford (N.C.) College.