Final Leg Planning Update
Hello Team,
I know I've said this many times, but it's worth repeating; this has been a very unusual Final Leg planning cycle. We are essentially doing two years' worth of work in about nine months. It is a monumental undertaking. Typically, by the time we select the team, much of the front-end work, such as selecting the cities we run through, the hotel we will stay at, and other details have all been solidified.
It was not until recently that the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) received its funding. What that means to us, is that no contracts could be signed to secure hotels, bus contracts, facilities and all the things we need to make a Final Leg happen, which obviously puts us way behind the curve.
With all that said, we have an amazing group of partners in Italy who are working their tails off to make this happen.
Flight Bookings
I know you and your programs are chomping at the bit to book flights and pay for the uniform kits, especially before this budget year ends.
Flights to Turin / Athens
We are waiting for a couple of pieces to fall into place before we can authorize the booking of flights. We anticipate we will provide confirmed dates of travel right about December 1st. I know this puts tremendous pressure on programs to get flights booked, but we are uncomfortable authorizing flight bookings until the LOC formally confirms our dates.
What we do know is that the Flame Lighting in Athens will take place on February 25th. Those of you attending the Flame Lighting will need to be in Athens by no later than February 24th. I would still wait to book until we formally give you the green light to do so.
Now, if you are traveling from Athens to Rome for the Papal Blessing on February 26th in St. Peter's Square, you have a decision to make; The details for the Blessing have not yet been finalized and we have no idea what that ceremony will look like, other than what occurs at the weekly mass. As a reminder, those travel arrangements from Athens to Rome, accommodations in Rome, and all meals are up to each individual person traveling. The LOC and the Final Leg Planning Committee do not control any of those travel arrangements for you.
If it were me, and I intended on traveling to Rome anyway, I would book my flight between Athens and Rome (about $100 USD) and secure my accommodations. Since we have no detail about the Papal Blessing, the worst-case scenario is that you would be in Rome for the mass and have a couple of days sightseeing in a spectacular city. I hope that makes sense. If it does not, PLEASE USE THE COMMENT SECTION ON THE BLOG TO ASK YOUR QUESTIONS, THAT WAY EVERYONE GETS THE BENEFIT OF THE HEARING THE ANSWER.
The last piece of independent travel is to get to Turin from Rome. You can travel to Turin by plane or by train. The train is incredibly more scenic. The Flame of Hope will be traveling by train on the afternoon of February 26th, arriving in Turin in the early evening. Torch Runners do not have to travel to Turin on the 26th. You are more than welcome to stay in Rome, and travel to Turin on the 27th. Torch Runners must be in Turin on the 27th, no exceptions.
Uniform Kits
The final pieces of our uniform kit are falling into place literally as I type. We are awaiting costs on embroidery, printing and shipping. As soon as that info is finalized in the next few days, we will be providing programs with a cost for the kit, and how that is to be paid. Greg Dawson and I have been working very hard to keep the cost down and provide you with a quality kit. I think each of you as Torch Runners will be extremely happy, and I'm pretty confident the programs will be happy with the bottom line.
Patches and Coins
As part of your uniform kit, each of you will be receiving a tactical backpack, along with two Velcro Final Leg patches. We made extra patches available for sale to the 2023 Final Leg Team once we were in Berlin and sold them out in short order. Once our prices have been finalized, we will make available to you the purchase of additional patches. If you order extras, we will have them for you when you arrive in Italy.
For the first time ever, we will also give you the opportunity to purchase extra official Final Leg coins. They are extremely high-quality and make outstanding gifts to your Polar Plunge donors, colleagues, family, and friends.
Full Team Zoom Call
Greg Dawson, Kami Delameter (SOI) and I will be traveling to Italy literally the day after the Conference for face-to-face planning meetings with our Italian colleagues, along with meeting the Italian Torch Runners and Athletes. Once we return, we will schedule a Full Team Zoom Meeting to provide an update for everyone.
International Conference
For those of you attending the LETR International Conference in San Antonio, Greg Dawson, athlete Dusting Edmondson and I will be presenting a Final Leg 101 class on Thursday afternoon. The presentation is designed to give attendees an overview on the history of the Final Leg, how the team is selected, and many other facets of the event most people do not know. I encourage you to attend.
Also, on Friday Morning, I will be speaking at the general session regarding the upcoming Final Leg in Italy. During that discussion I will ask members of the Final Leg Team to stand and be recognized.
That is a whole lot of information, so please, please, please don't hesitate to ask any questions!
How many miles have you run this week?
See y'all soon!
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