Peter Muhly / AFP - Getty Images

Olympic Torch bearers Clare Leahy and Denis Broderick carry the torch over the Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge in Ballintoy, Northern Ireland, on June 4. The Olympic Torch relay started at Land's End, the southwest tip of England, to begin an 8,000-mile (12,875-kilometre) journey around Britain, with a detour to also visit the Irish capital Dublin. It will culminate in the flame being brought to the Olympic Stadium for the opening of the Games on July 27.

Peter Muhly / AFP - Getty Images

Olympic Torch bearer Peter Jack carries the torch at the Giants Causeway, Bushmills, Northern Ireland, on June 4.

 The torch is on a 5-day tour of Ireland on its way to London for the start of the Olymic games, July 27. Full story.

Toby Melville / Reuters

Dan Kitwood / Getty Images

An Olympic torch is auctioned on eBay.

Crowds lined the streets of a small town in south west England on Monday as a locally-organized torch relay race was run ahead of the official Olympic parade.

Several enterprising locals took to the streets of Hatherleigh wielding their own homemade versions of the much-heralded torch.

Olympic torch lit by sun's rays at birthplace of Games

Some 8,000 runners are participating in the official torch relay, which will cover over 8,000 miles throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland over the next ten weeks. 

The historic ritual only started Saturday, but by Sunday there were already several torches being auctioned on eBay with offers in excess of $170,000. 

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• Full Olympic coverage on NBCOlympics.com

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