Individuals and teams interested in participating in Heroes In Transition’s (HIT) 7th Annual Ruck4HIT have until Saturday, March 5 to register. The relay race will take place at the end of April with runners wearing weighted rucksacks passing through every town on Cape Cod over the course of 36 hours.
“With 12 teams already registered, we’re looking forward to bringing the traditional Ruck4HIT back to the Cape. It’s been three years since we’ve been able to do so and we’re excited to a return to normalcy,” said HIT Executive Director Nicole Spencer, who will be captaining one of those teams. “This event is also a reminder of the sacrifices that are being made and have been made by those who serve and have served our country.”
People interested in signing up for the Ruck4HIT as a team, as a rucker, night support runner, or driver can do so by clicking the button below.
The first Ruck4HIT took place in 2016 when one team of 12 runners and four support personnel spent 41 hours rucking from Ground Zero in New York City to Falmouth. Since then, the event has taken place on Cape Cod, bringing people from all over the country to the region each spring to test themselves physically and mentally while giving back to our country’s heroes.
The past two years, the event has been modified due to the pandemic. It will return to its original format this spring, kicking off at the Courtyard Restaurant and Pub in Cataumet, just after midnight on Friday, April 29, and conclude around noon on Saturday, April 30, at Cape Cod Coffee in Mashpee Commons where there will be a post-event celebration.
The Ruck4HIT is an intentionally grueling race with runners wearing a 10- to 20-pound rucksack to signify the burdens our military and veterans carry with them in service to our country. During the race, each runner runs a 2- to 4-mile leg before switching off with a teammate.
There are two divisions in the Ruck4HIT: Jethro and Jones. Jethro refers to the call sign of Captain Eric Jones. Teams in the Jethro Division are allowed one van, 7 runners, and 2 drivers, and have to raise a minimum of $5,000 to support Heroes In Transition. In the Jones Division, teams have up to 2 vans, up to 14 runners, up to 4 drivers, and be required to raise a minimum of $8,000.
All participants must be at least 18 years old.
Among the teams to sign up for the Ruck4HIT are ones from RideAway Adventures in Sandwich, Rockland Trust, and Baystate Crossfit in Plymouth. The event will draw individuals from as close as Cape Cod and Southeastern and Central Massachusetts to as far away as Vermont, New Jersey, Virginia, and Minnesota.
Along with participants, the Ruck4HIT is also seeking volunteers. Individuals interested in volunteering should email ruck4hit@gmail.com.
Organizers are also seeking sponsors for the Ruck4HIT. The deadline to become a Ruck4HIT sponsor is April 1. To learn more about becoming a sponsor, contact Jill Blanchard at marketing@heroesintransition.org or click the button below.
Current sponsors included HIT Community Partners Cape Cod 5 and Cape Cod Retractable, Inc. as well as Ride22 of Taunton, the George and Betty Dutton Foundation, Financial Independence, The Lobster Trap, Fairway Financial, Oceanside, Ryco Excavation, and iKitchens Etc.
