Vest Up 4 the Fallen

What is Vest Up 4 the Fallen #SIXFIVE- Boston 2 Bourne  Vest Up 4 the Fallen is a 65 Mile march from Boston 2 Bourne that starts on Sunday, Memorial Day weekend at 12:30 a.m and finishes on Monday, Memorial Day. This event honors, remembers, respects and pays tribute to all the US Armed Forces members who paid the Ultimate Sacrifice in service to our Country.  Note: You are responsible for a Ride to drop you off at the Start and pick you up at the Finish.  Start Location: Boston Common; Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Regiment Memorial, Boston, MA  Gathering Date & Time: 11:59 pm Saturday, May 29, 2021 Step Off Time: Sunday May 30 @ 12:30am Ending Date: Memorial Day Monday May 31 2021 Ending Time: Between Morning - Early Afternoon Ending Location: Massachusetts National Cemetery, Connery Ave, Buzzards Bay, MA 02542 
 
The team will gather at 11:59pm Saturday May 29, 2021 @  the Boston Common near the Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Regiment Memorial statue, Boston, MA 02108. 
We will step off at ruffly around 12:30-1:00 am Sunday, May 30, 2021and walk through the Memorial Green where 37,000 flags are placed to honor the Massachusetts service members who died in service to our nation. 
The team is to complete the mission and get to the Massachusetts National Cemetery, Connery Ave, Buzzards Bay, MA 02542- early morning around sunrise or a little after on Memorial Day, Monday May 31, 2021   Why do we wear a Vest? A Vest is a necessity in the military, as it provides increase levels of protection for service members, saves lives, and helps fellow service members secure and rescue a wounded or mortally wound service member; dragging them by their vest to safety in an emergency.  By wearing a weighted vest you are keeping their memory alive and letting their loved ones know that you will never forget that sacrifice and the weight their loved ones carry in their heart is heavy, the sorrow is deep and their grief does not have a cure; for its forever! Do You Have What it Takes- It time for YOU to Dig Deep, continue forward and carry them beyond their finish line, its time for you to VEST UP 4 the FALLEN!!   How much should your vest Weight: Ultimately you decide but if you're looking to push yourself recommended weight is below.   Men between 10-20 lbs vest  Women between 5-8 lbs vest  Can I Wear a Ruck?  We encourage those who want to participate to wear a vest because of what it represents but we will not condemn anyone if they wear a ruck.    Each Registered Participant will receive-  Each registered participant will receive an Official Vest Up 4 The Fallen Tee-Shirt Fueling Snacks and waters will be provided- (Hydration is provided but we suggest you have hydration on you before you arrive and at step off.) Alumni Sports Cafe will be providing pizza to the team at the Halfway point in Kingston. (32.5 miles)  Only those who complete the FULL 65 MILES will be patched at Massachusetts National Cemetery.  We also have something special for those who just might not make it the full 65 miles; this will also be given to all those who do complete the whole 65 miles.     Registration costs:
 
Registration is $65.00 that equals to one dollar per mile. Registration cost is the same for Boston 2 Bourne, Virtual.  What if I choose to Fundraise and Opt-out of paying the $65.00?
***** If you choose to fundraise $150.00 you will receive $65.00 off the initial registration fee but you will be required to raise the $150.00. ****** Please note: The registration fee of ($65.00) will be waived if you agree to raise at least $150. The deadline to raise money is Wednesday May 26 2021 at 11:59pm EDT. In signing up to fundraise you agree to meet the Fundraiser minimum of $150.00.  If You do not reach $150 in donations, You agree to pay the difference. 
Those who raise $150 or more will also receive an additional incentive. TBD
Do What You Can Miles is a little less because they are not doing the full 65 miles. 
The "Do What You can Miles" This registration is $35.00 and for people who want to join the team and walk what miles they can do but might not be able to do all 65 miles. 
Please Note: for Do What You can Miles YOU WILL NEED a support vehicle (family, friend etc) to follow along with you from your start to finish.Only know your body and how many miles you can do at any given time.     More About the Event: The team will be going down route 3 and route 53 traversing through the following city and towns Boston, Quincy, Weymouth, Hingham, Norwell, Hanover, Pembroke, Duxbury, Kingston, Plymouth, Bourne, Buzzards Bay, until they reach their destination at the Massachusetts National Cemetery on Memorial Day Monday, May 31, 2021.  To stay in compliance with Covid-19 mandates per Massachusetts, Please make sure to have a mask of some type, Neck Gaiter, shemagh etc.   We will have support vehicles that will be with the team one trailing ahead, one behind and any others that join along the way will be staggered. The team will never be left without a support vehicle close by. We will have a tracker link for the team as a whole but we suggest you add a tracker to your own phone as well. The Tracker system we use is Glympse - Share GPS location Glympse is a fast, free and simple way to share your real-time location using GPS tracking, with any of your family or friends. https://glympse.com/get-glympse-app/ Safety is our number one priority!!!!!  There will be a safety briefing at the start of the event.  1. We ask that you carry your ID 2. There are many potential hazards in an open road race of this type including, but not limited to: automobile traffic, creatures in the road and/or on pathways, walkways, roads etc and weather. 3. We ask that all participants please take appropriate precautions to ensure a safe event. Please help us keep this event safe by focusing on being safe and using caution at all times. Route is not free of traffic so it will be important for all participants  to use good judgment and Be Alert on Blind Curves and lack of sidewalks. 4. Listening to music with both headphones in can be dangerous. You need to be alert and aware of your surroundings at all times. We encourage you to listen to music using just use one earpiece. 5.  Pre-hydrate before you start and continue to hydrate during the event. Electrolyte replacement is just as important as hydration. Gatorade, Power Aid drinks. Hydration powders can help with that. If its hot out, keeping your core body temperature as low as possible is also a vital component when being active in the heat. If you are feeling over heated or are getting hot you can pour cold water on your head and neck and to slow your pace are two great ways to help keep your body’s temperature under control. *****  If you stop to use the bathroom YOU CAN NOT be driven to catch up you must do what it takes to catch up to the team even if it means running. Why?? Because getting into a car only cheats yourself but most of all those you are doing it in honor of....... Our Fallen Heroes, Period! Lastly- Respect private property along the route. Don't relieve yourself in the neighbors bushes. Respect the outdoors and Do Not Litter!  What Gear to Pack- 1. We ask that you carry your ID on you 2. Head Lamp or flash light  3. Warm Jacket, Gloves, and Hat (It gets cold on the Cape) 4. Hand warmers help when you get to the Cape 5. Body Powder 6. Reflective Gear 7. Change of socks 8. Battery Pack for your phone 9. Band-Aid Brand Hydro Seal All Purpose Adhesive or Combat Ready      Tactical Body Tape-Good for Blisters    What happens if you have to quit/tap out? Do not leave without telling one of the Volunteers or Director of the event.  If you do decide to quit/tap out we do ask you to meet us at Massachusetts National Cemetery as you are still apart of the team.  You are responsible for a Ride to pick you up at your drop out location.    How did -Vest Up 4 The Fallen, Boston 2 Bourne first start?  In 2020 as Covid-19 made life come to a halt in so many ways to include canceling Memorial Day Ceremonies across the Nation, President and Founder of Give2Those.org had seen many Gold Star Families, Veterans, Active Duty Members and Patriots  posting on social media about events all across America being canceled; she thought to herself Memorial Day should never be canceled. That's when she made it her goal to honor the fallen and came up with a plan, to Trek 65 miles from Boston Common to Massachusetts National Cemetery wearing a Vest in Honor and Remember the sacrifices made in service to our Nation. That being said close friends from Gold Star Families, Active Duty Members, First Responders and Patriots joined forces with her to walk along side and complete the mission with her. After the event people reached out and asked her if she would continue to put together this event and well now here we are 2021 and this May the journey will begin once again. This event will take All That You've Got, It will take heart and Soul for your mind and body will have wanted to quit long before you get to the Cemetery. The question is DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES!!!!   The team will be raising funds for Give2Those.org a 501c3 non-profit organization The mission of Give2Those is to step in and provide vital financial assistance and support when hardship, distress, and/or tragedy strikes an active duty member, veteran, first responder, or their family. In addition to providing financial assistance, Give2Those also focuses ​on ​engaging communities​ and citizen participation in taking time to honor, remember and reflect on the sacrifices made by those who serve; and to empower, encourage, support, and reconnect service members, veterans, first responders and their families with themselves, each other, and their community.