As 11,500 people across the nation prepare to carry the torch to the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games, about 140 selected from Michigan are being honored as heroes.

The 65-day relay, which is sponsored by Coca-Cola Company and Chevrolet, Inc., will be led by everyday heroes who are believed to be worthy of carrying the torch by the friends, family or co-workers who nominated them.

The flame will be carried by train, ship, skis, ice skates, snowmobile and other methods as it travels more than 13,500 miles across the country.

Rudy Serra will carry the torch for one-fifth of a mile when it arrives in Detroit on Jan. 6.

“I am complimented beyond description,” Serra said. “When I first got the letter, I thought it was a joke until I looked at it.”

Serra, a Detroit attorney, is a gay advocate and board member of the Triangle Foundation. He has also served as Oakland County commissioner.

Mark Mueth, Serra’s friend who nominated him in March, said he immediately thought of Serra after seeing a commercial seeking nominations.

“I’ve known Rudy for a little over a year,” he said. “I have had conversations with him about gay rights, human rights and civil liberties in general.

“What made me nominate him was that he is like a torchbearer for the voices of unheard people. I thought he would be the perfect choice.”

And Jeffrey Montgomery, executive director of the Triangle Foundation, said Serra’s dedication to the LBGT community makes him qualified for the honor.

“Rudy is a great advocate and champion for human rights and equality,” he said. “I think that the Olympics embody the idea of healthy competition and cooperation between cultures, and that’s what Rudy is all about.”

Serra was contacted in August about his nomination.

“I had dreams of being involved with the Olympics some day,” he said. “I was delighted to find out.”

The torch will also pass through the Lansing area Jan. 6.

And Susan Forbes said running her portion of the relay won’t be a problem - she’s a personal trainer at the Michigan Athletic Club in East Lansing.

Forbes, who was nominated by two people, said she is honored to be chosen.

“It was really touching for me to think that two people thought I was worthy of it,” she said. “I really felt humbled.”

To prepare for the relay, Forbes attended an event Saturday at the Chevrolet dealership in Warren, which allowed Michigan torchbearers to meet each other and simulate holding objects that are the same weight as the torch.

“I was impressed by the people who were nominated,” she said. “Especially after I saw some of the people who had overcome such odds and challenges in life. There were people in wheelchairs and a guy with Parkinson’s disease.”

Forbes said she thinks she was nominated because of her dedication to the fitness industry for the past 20 years.

“I just go at it with my heart and soul,” she said. “They know my sincerity and my focus is on helping them be the best they can be. I am dedicated.”

Ann Kostin-McGill was one of the two people who nominated Forbes. They have known each other for 11 years, and met while Forbes was an instructor and Kostin-McGill was a fitness director at the YMCA in Lansing.

“She is just an inspiration to everybody she comes in contact with,” she said. “She is really concerned about other people’s health and fitness, and she always goes the extra mile for every single person she comes in contact with.”