Fundraising Update #2

Update #2

Hello Final Leg Team. We will all be meeting each other in just a little over a month and I can't wait. We do have plenty of time left to make a great big FINAL push with our fundraising efforts. If you haven't sent out a press release or had your agency send one out now is a great time to have that done. It makes the fundraising easier. While all fundraising is voluntary it is such a great way to raise some money for your local program and earn yourself a Torch, Miner's Lamp or both. Either item on your wall of your office, your agency's wall or your home will be a constant reminder of the great experience you had in Italy. DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS.

While we are still ironing out the details of the Polar Plunge it is certain that we all will be jumping into the cold water with our individual teams. In the past each team has decided on a costume to wear for the jump so I would encourage your teams to talk and decide on a costume. Due to all of the stuff we have to pack the costumes do not need to be extensive. Your team leaders will be in contact with your team to decide on those details.  

GOAL FOR THIS WEEK: Every team member that is fundraising should request a donation from your employee association (police officer's association, deputy sheriff's association, correctional officer association etc). Most of these types of agencies have a non-profit status so they are almost always willing to donate money to Special Olympics especially since one of their members has been hand-chosen from their state, country, province etc. to carry the Flame of Hope in Italy. So each of us should be hitting up the head of the association either in person or a short letter and asking for that donation. As a further incentive, I will buy one round of drinks in Italy for the team that has at least two members secure a donation from as association in the next 10 days. If your team qualifies for this please email me as soon as at least two donations post so I can share your team's success. These have to be two new donations starting today.

 

Running Weather

 

Running Weather (First 4 Days)

Greetings Torch Runners,

Greg Dawson has received his extra pair of Columbia running pants from Amazon. He reports that the material is relatively thin, so, make sure you pack the appropriate undergarments.

Below is the projected weather for our first four days of running:

Saturday, 1 March: Bardonecchia:

                 2* Celsius

Sunday, 2 March: Turin

              9* Celsius

Monday, 3 March: Sestriere & Pragelato

              

                  -1* Celsius                                                        1* Celsius      

Tuesday, 4 March: Novara & Vercelli

                      

              11* Celsius                                                         11* Celsius

Wide range of temperatures, along with some snow and rain - for now. We all know how quickly these forecasts can change. However, it does look like the 1sr and 3rd of March will be our coldest running days by far.

Keep getting the miles in. We are really getting close!

 

 

         

                                                                          

                        

Recommended Packing List

 

What Should I Bring?

Packing for a Winter Games Final Leg is a challenge. The uniform kit is substantial, so maximizing space is essential. However, there are a number of recommended items that you should bring, and they are detailed below. This is a fairly comprehensive list, but you may have other items you wish to bring.

·        Two pairs of running shoes; you may consider one pair to be trail running shoes due to cobblestones and/or ice; Two pairs of shoes are essential because your feet are likely to get wet at some point during our runs

·        You may also consider purchasing slip on Yak Trax as pictured below, specifically for icy conditions

·    We are providing you with one pair of Columbia running pants; if you wish to order another pair, Amazon carries the following:

Women: Columbia Women’s Leslie Falls Jogger li (black);

Men: Columbia Men’s Hike Jogger li (black)

·        Black socks; Since we are running in full-leg joggers, you may wear any style of sock you wish, but they MUST be black; you may consider packing at least a couple pairs of cold weather socks; as is the case with shoes, there is always the possibility that your feet may get wet, so make sure to pack extra socks for each run day

·        Cold weather underwear (tops and bottoms)

·        Compression shorts to minimize chafing

·        Sunscreen

·        Lip balm

·        Hand lotion for dry conditions

·        Vaseline (primarily for males; running in multiple layers can sometimes cause nipple chafing)

·        Individual laundry packets for washing garments

·        Sunglasses

·        Disposable hand/feet warmer pouches

·        Law Enforcement officers for the Opening Ceremony: Class “A” uniform with cover (hat); no weapons or pouches of any kind; Outer and/or dress belts only; if you choose not to wear a uniform, you will still participate in the Opening Ceremony wearing pieces of your Final Leg uniform kit to be determined by the Management Team

·        Personal clothes: pack lightly. You honestly do not need many personal garments on the trip, since much of the time we’re traveling as a team; maybe a pair of casual pants, shirt and sweatshirt; you are more than welcome to wear any of your Final Leg gear in public

·        Khaki/tan pants to be worn at the Welcome and Recognition dinners

·        EU power converter (pictured below)

   

·        During our time in Italy, the entire country will be celebrating the Jubilee, a spiritual pilgrimage that occurs every 25 years. With increased tourism, there is a strong potential for pickpockets and other types of thieveries. We would strongly suggest that you carry an RFID-blocking wallet, like what’s pictured below. This will block individuals from trying to electronically steal your credit card and personal information. These wallets are available on Amazon

·        Based on recommendations of a respected financial advisor, if you wish to get Euros for incidental spending cash, utilize a bank ATM while in Italy; currency exchange rates are typically more favorable than using a currency exchange office or booth at the airport

 

Things to do Before You Travel 

·        Contact your bank(s) to advise of international travel so credit/debit cards are not shut down

·        Contact your cell phone provider to determine plans for international calling/messaging

New Year Reminders

 

59 DAYS TO GET EVERYTHING DONE

It is now less than 60 days before the whole Final Leg team will be assembled in Turin - preparing for the first Torch Run in Bardonecchia.

It is timely to remind everyone about some of the things that need to be completed.  Specifically, this post will be about the following:

TRAVEL NOTIFICATIONS

 PASSPORTS

PRE-EVENT CONFIRMATIONS

OPENING CEREMONY TICKETS

UNIFORM COSTS AND PAYMENTS

PRE & POST EVENT ACCOMMODATION

Let's get started

In order to be able to plan for the collection of team members arriving into Turin as well as providing transport to airports / railway stations on departure, we need to know your travel plans.  Of the 97 international members of the Final Leg team, we have received travel notifications from just 36 of you at this time.  I understand that there have been delays in arranging your travel, but you all need to get that completed as soon as possible and then complete the Travel Notifications Form.  

As well as telling us your time date and mode of travel into and out of Turin (which is used for transport arrangements) we've also asked for copies of your itineraries - this is so we can keep track of your progress should delays occur.

Click here to view the list of team members who have submitted Travel Notifications.

Click on the Travel Notification image above to complete the form.

As part of your registration for this event, we asked for passport information - this was because we predicted (correctly) that the Local Organizing Committee would want this information for their registration system.  

In many cases, team members' passports have expired since they completed their registration or they may not have had a passport at that time.

Please take the time now to check that your passport is current (and has an expiry date no earlier that 1 October 2025.  If this is the case and you recall submitting that information when registering, there is nothing more to be done.

If however, you have a new or renewed passport, please let us know.  29 team members have completed the Passport Update Form as of today.

Click here to view the list of those team members.

Click on the Passport Update image above to complete the form.

In December, we asked team members to complete a form to confirm that they were attending the pre-event activities in Athens and Rome.  There was an enormous response with 47 team members travelling to Athens and 53 being present in Rome.

Click here to view the list of those team members.

The confirmation process has now closed.

Last week, we announced that Opening Ceremony tickets for team members's families and friends were able to be requested.

To date 12 team members have requested tickets and 29 others have indicated that they don't require tickets.

Click here to view the list of those team members.

Click on the Opening Ceremony Tickets image above to complete the form.

You will all be aware that the cost of the Uniform Kit for Torch Runners is borne by their respective LETR Programs.  We've been a bit delayed this time around in working out the costs but that process will be completed very soon.  Once that occurs all Torch Runners will be advised of the cost of their Uniform Kit and how to make the payment.

You would all have seen a post by Mark McCorkle earlier this week where he advised that any team member intending on arriving in Turin early or staying afterwards could contact Nadia Giradi at the hotel to check on availability and book a room.

I did this myself this week and Nadia's response to my email was prompt.

However - I checked the price on Expedia at the same time and found the room rate was almost 30% cheaper than that offered by the hotel.

My advice is to do your research before booking.

That's it - all done

  

Pre/Post Final Leg Hotel Accommodations

 

Arriving Early to Turin, or Staying Later?

Hello Final Leg Team,

If you intend to travel to Turin early, or wish to stay later, the NH Lingotto Congress Hotel has agreed to extend our Final Leg discounted rate to you. Reminder, you will be responsible for any extra days spent in Turin.

Here are the important travel dates:

Logistics:  Wishing to arrive BEFORE 25 February; staying beyond the NIGHT of 9 March

Torch Runners and Athletes:  Wishing to arrive BEFORE 27 February; staying beyond the NIGHT of 9 March

Team Leaders: Wishing to Arrive before 26 February; staying beyond the NIGHT of 9 March

If you wish to take advantage of this opportunity, please reach out to Hotel Groups and Events Manager Nadia Girardi at n.girardi@nh-hotels.com She will be happy to assist with your reservation. 

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Opening Ceremony Tickets for Final Leg Team members' families

 

OPENING CEREMONY TICKETS

The Opening Ceremony of the 2025 Special Olympics World Winter Games will be held at the Pala Alpitour Stadium in Turin on Saturday, 8 March 2025.

All Final Leg Team members will be seated in the stadium for the ceremony.

An opportunity exists for team members who may have family travelling to Italy to attend the Opening Ceremony.  It is understood that the the tickets provided will be at no cost to the team member.

The Pala Alpitour Stadium is relatively small with a total capacity of 16,000 spectators and tickets are limited.  For this reason, we cannot guarantee that all ticketing requests will be met.

We have placed a limit of four tickets that a team members can request.

In order to determine the number of tickets being sought, I have created a form for you to fill out (you shouldn't be surprised by that).

I would ask that all team members complete the form - even if you do not require tickets.  That way, we will have a better idea of who has read this post and won't get surprised a week out from the event with team members suddenly asking for tickets.

Please complete the form (see link below) by Friday, 10 January.

Thanks

Scott

 FINAL LEG RUN MAPS

Work is progressing to finalise the Final Leg Torch Runs across the Piedmont area in the lead up to the World Winter Games Opening Ceremony.

We now have runs planned for all of the towns and cities with the exception of Turin - which we expect soon.

Run Maps (using the All Trails app) have been prepared and are available on the Final Leg Team Portal.

You can download a PDF version of the maps by clicking on the link below:

The header image for each map has a QR Code which can be used to access the live maps for that run.  Scan the QR code on another device or tap on the image on your tablet or phone to gain access.