If traditionally staid, prim Victoria is any indication, the journey of the celebrated Olympic torch across Canada is going to be a blast.

Thousands lined the route to watch the flame pass by on the first day of its 106-day odyssey, after a boisterous kickoff to the relay before thousands more at the provincial legislature here.

The turnout, which surpassed organizers' expectations, was exactly the tonic VANOC officials had been hoping for, given recent opinion polls showing a distinct souring of attitude towards the 2010 Winter Olympics among British Columbians.

Those involved in previous Olympics have attested to the legendary power of the torch to erase public feelings of indifference ahead of the Games.

"It's like a switch goes on, and everything changes," recalled Fraser Bullock, chief operating officer for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

After watching gold-medal Olympians Catriona Le May Doan and Simon Whitfield carry the torch for the first time, spectator Philippe Charette found himself wiping away tears.

"Just seeing the torch right in front of me, just seeing the whole thing.... It gets to you," said Mr. Charette, who seemed embarrassed by his show of emotion.

But the price of glowing Canadian hearts from the Olympic flame doesn't come cheap.

VANOC has earmarked $32-million for the torch relay, while the federal and provincial governments are chipping in an additional $15-million and $3-million, respectively, to assist community celebrations.

Millions more are expected to be spent on security along the 45,000-kilometre path of the torch. There was a heavy police presence here yesterday, prompted by the vows of local, anti-Olympic protesters to disrupt the run.

Late yesterday, organizers had to change the route of the relay when 400 protesters screaming profanities snarled downtown traffic at rush hour.

The mood had been festive in the afternoon, when about 150 opponents of the Games gathered for a "five-ring circus" by Victoria City Hall. Anti-poverty activists mingled with youths in zombie makeup, the alternative mascot Bitey the Bedbug cavorted, while four people in a large dead salmon costume paraded around with sea-lice attendants.

"We are sending a message that the Olympics will face resistance," said Zoe Blunt, an organizer.

Ms. Le May Doan and Mr. Whitfield were ecstatic over their selection as the relay's first torchbearers. Together, the speed-skater and the triathlete held the sleek white torch high towards the sky, its thick flame clearly visible, before jogging a short distance to the next carriers, as the crowd roared with delight.

"When you see all those kids cheering you, it's overwhelming," Ms. Le May Doan told reporters afterwards. "This is something every Canadian can be part of. I'm so proud."

Added Mr. Whitfield: "I was a bit nerve-wracking, actually. I felt the pressure to do it right for all Canadians. This is very special."

Among the early torchbearers was 20-year-old Neil Harbun, selected by relay sponsor Coca-Cola as the first of its 4,500 chosen participants across the country.

But Mr. Harbun's short, 300-metre jaunt was a stroll in the park compared to what his mother Deb Roy overcame to carry the Olympic torch for the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary.

After filling out hundreds of application forms, she finally won a spot in the relay, and was determined not to miss it, despite being heavily pregnant with Neil.

In a grand example of grit, two days after the 19-year-old mother gave birth to her son in Winnipeg, she boarded a bus to reach her relay leg in the remote Northern Ontario hamlet of Wabigoon.

It was the middle of winter and 40 below. It was so cold, in fact, that when Ms. Roy was overcome with emotion at her first glimpse of the torch, her tears froze to her face.

She travelled five kilometres with the torch by snowmobile, followed by a kilometre run along the highway, a thick snowsuit keeping her warm under the torch uniform.

It remains one of the highlights of her life. "It just stops your breath when you see the torch coming around the corner. It really was thrilling, for me and for everyone out there in the cold to watch. It's the only time I've ever seen so many grown men cry."

Twenty-one years later, son Neil now knows how his mother felt. "It was simply unbelievable," said Mr. Harbun, after his torch run. "I still can't find the words to describe it. I'm just buzzing."

Today, after covering 90 kilometres in the Victoria area, the torch heads north on Vancouver Island, stopping for the night in Nanaimo.

With a report from Justine Hunter