January 29, 2025 (Cape Cod, MA) – What started as a one-team relay run from Ground Zero to Cape Cod in 2016, Ruck4HIT has grown to nearly two dozen teams that will run through every town on Cape Cod over the course of 36 hours at the end of April in support of our military community.

The Ruck4HIT was the brainchild of Heroes In Transition (HIT) Executive Director Nicole Spencer and Army Reservist Ray Regan. The pair started it as a way to raise awareness to the sacrifices that are being made and have been made by our country’s military, veterans, and their loved ones. Over the last decade, Ruck4HIT has become the largest fundraising event for HIT, a nonprofit formed by Cyndy Jones and her late husband Kenneth following the death of their only son, U.S. Marine Corps Captain Eric A. Jones, who was killed in a helicopter crash while flying a combat mission in Afghanistan in October 2009.

Funds raised from the Ruck4HIT go to support 15 HIT programs which assist service members, veterans, military couples, military spouses, and military families in the region. Its programs positively impact more than 2,000 individuals annually and are focused on building community, strengthening relationships, serving as a pathway to healing, and empowering those they serve. Donations to the Ruck4HIT can be made by clicking the button below.

The 10th Annual Ruck4HIT will kick off on Friday, April 25 and conclude roughly 36 hours later on Saturday, April 26. Due to increased popularity, organizers have shifted the start and finish lines, as well as the event after party, to the Cape Cod Fairgrounds in East Falmouth to accommodate more participants, volunteers, and spectators.

“This is a one-of-a-kind event that brings people from throughout the country to the Cape to push themselves physically and mentally, all to support the important work being done by Heroes In Transition,” said Spencer. “What makes the Ruck4HIT so unique is that runners wear rucksacks which symbolize the burdens our military members and veterans carry on a daily basis in service to our country. The rucksack is a reminder of the sacrifices they are making and have made, and a way for us to show our support and gratitude to them.”

A total of 22 teams have registered for this year’s Ruck4HIT. Teams consist of a minimum of 7 runners and 2 drivers. Each runner runs a 2- to 4-mile leg, while wearing a 10- to 20-pound rucksack, before switching off with a teammate.

The deadline to sign up as a team, a rucker, a driver, or a night support runner is Sunday, February 2. Individuals and teams can register for the Ruck4HIT by clicking the button below.

Participants include individuals from throughout Cape Cod as well as Central Massachusetts, the South Shore, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York, Florida, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. There are teams of individuals serving in the Coast Guard; first responders from Chatham; the Falmouth Police Department; RideAway Adventures in Sandwich; RogersGray; Quench Training For Women in Hyannis; and the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Joint Base Cape Cod.

HIT Vice President Savannah Fabbio of East Falmouth, will be participating in her sixth Ruck4HIT. She is not only captain of her team, Worst Pace Scenario, but the event’s co-director along with Spencer.

Her husband Jay will be running his second straight Ruck4HIT on RideAway Adventures and her mother, Doreen Landry, a veteran who served in the Marines and who lives in Florida, will be volunteering for the event.

“The heart behind the event and being able to keep Eric Jones’s mission going is really what keeps me wanting to do this,” Savannah said of why she not only participates, but helps organize the event. “Looking back and seeing where Nicole started this 10 years ago, to see how far it’s grown, from the financial aspect to how much it impacts Heroes In Transition and the people we serve, it’s been incredible.”

Along with participants, organizers are seeking volunteers to assist with the event’s opening ceremony, finish line party, and to cover 71 exchanges along the 200+ mile route. Individuals interested in volunteering should click the button below.

The deadline to register as a volunteer is April 4.

Sponsors are also needed to help make this year’s event a success. Businesses interested in becoming a Ruck4HIT Sponsor, should email rucksponsors@heroesintransition.org. Additional details on Ruck4HIT Sponsorship can be found here. The deadline to sign on as a sponsor is March 14.

Ruck4HIT Sponsors are Cyndy Jones, Capewide Construction of Mashpee, Jannell Ford of Hanover, Rogers & Marney Builders, Cape Cod 5, Cape Cod Retractable Inc., the Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod, Plymouth IV Lounge & Aesthetics, and All Star Healthcare Solutions.