Athens Flame Lighting

 Information Needed: Athens Flame Lighting

Hello Team,

It is common for significant others to travel for pre and post Final Leg trips (they are expressly prohibited from traveling on the Final Leg event itself). If you expressed interest in attending the Flame Lighting Ceremony AND you intend to bring a significant other with you, they are welcome to attend the Flame Lightning as a VIP Guest. If that is the case, I need you to reply by email ASAP (by no later than Friday, 20 September) with the name of the person who will be traveling with you. 

I apologize for the short notice, but as you know, everything about this planning process is occurring at warp speed!

Please let me know if you have any questions.

2025 Final Leg Schedule

Zappeion Hall - Athens, Greece

 

2025 LETR FINAL LEG SCHEDULE

Hello Team, we are pleased to present to you our schedule for the 2025 LETR Final Leg leading up to the World Winter Games in Turin, Italy. Please note that once this schedule has been chiseled in stone, Scott Whyte will place it into a much more palatable format:

Monday, 24 February 2025: Flame Lighting Rehearsal, Zappeion Hall - Athens, Greece

Tuesday, 25 February 2025: Logistics Team Arrival - Turin, Italy

Tuesday, 25 February 2025: Flame Lighting, Zappeion Hall - Athen's Greece

Tuesday, 25 February 2025: Flame departs Athens to Rome

St. Peter's Square - Vatican City

Wednesday, 26 February 2025: Host Nation Arrival Ceremony / Papal Blessing, St. Peter's Square - Vatican City, Rome

Wednesday, 26 February 2025: Team Leaders Arrival - Turin, Italy

Wednesday, 26 February 2025: Flame departs Rome by train, enroute to Turin, Italy

Wednesday, 26 February 2025: Flame arrival ceremony - Turin, Italy

Thursday, 27 February 2025: Torch Runners and Athletes Arrival - Turin, Italy

Friday, 28 February 2025: Individual Team Meetings; Management / Logistics Team Meeting; Welcome Dinner (mandatory attendance for full team)

Saturday, 1 March 2025: Final Leg Torch Run - Sestriere* & Pragelato*

Sunday, 2 March 2025: Final Leg Torch Run - Bardonecchia* & Turin*

Monday, 3 March 2025: Final Leg Torch Run - Cuneo* & Alessandro*

Tuesday, 4 March 2025: Final Leg Torch Run - Asti* & Vercelli*

Wednesday, 5 March 2025: Final Leg Torch Run - Novara*

Thursday, 6 March 2025: Final Leg Torch Run - Verbania*

Friday, 7 March 2025: Final Leg Torch Run - Biella* & Ceremonial Run from hotel to Opening Ceremony Arena (2.3 km, or about 1.4 miles) * & Opening Ceremony Rehearsal

Pala Alpitour - Turin, Italy

Saturday, 8 March 2025: Opening Ceremony (evening); Polar Plunge*

Sunday, 9 March 2025: Polar Plunge*, Team visit competition venues, Farewell Dinner (mandatory for all team members)

Monday, 10 March 2025: Team members relieved of Final Leg duties and return home, or continue personal travel

Tuesday, 11 March 2025: Management Team departs

You will note a number of asterisks in the schedule. Some of the towns we are scheduled to visit may be adjusted to different days and times due to a number of factors.

There are pieces of the schedule, primarily the Opening Ceremony rehearsal that we may not know until we are in Italy. That is a mandatory team function, and we are at the mercy of the Opening Ceremony producer in terms of when they will want us at the arena.

At the Opening Ceremony rehearsal, we will also announce which Torch Runner and Athlete will represent the Team in delivering the Flame of Hope into the arena. We will discuss in our next whole Team meeting how we select those individuals.

The Polar Plunge is on the schedule for both Saturday and Sunday. While it will likely take place Sunday morning, we do have some flexibility. 

If our Opening Ceremony rehearsal ends up being Friday afternoon/evening, we may push our Ceremonial Run to the arena to Saturday morning. If it is Saturday morning, this is another mandatory event for all team members. In other words, no sleeping in if we end up having an early morning run.

PLEASE DO NOT BOOK YOUR TRAVEL. WE HOPE TO GIVE YOU THE GO AHEAD SOON!

Just a reminder, the Final Leg is a mission, and part of your duties as a law enforcement officer, or Athlete representative of Special Olympics; it is not a vacation. We will work very hard, with very long hours, but we do have time to decompress, enjoy our new friendships, and possibly celebrate with a cold beverage or two (ask any of the Team Leaders or Logistics folks about decompression time in Berlin).

The key to any Final Leg is to remain flexible. I will promise you right now, something will happen - likely last minute - that will impact our schedule and cause a change. Or, we will make you rush to get somewhere, only to end up waiting. No big deal. As a Torch Runner, you have four simple responsibilities: ALWAYS BE ON TIME; BE READY TO RUN; SMILE; TAKE CARE OF THE ATHLETES.

Greg Dawson, our fantastic SOI partner Kami Delameter and I will be travelling to Italy the day after the International Conference to meet with our Italian colleagues in person. During our visit, we will stay in our team hotel, do reconnaissance on all of the running routes, the Polar Plunge location and the Opening Ceremony arena. Additionally, we hope to meet with all of the Italian Torch Runners and Athletes.

Upon return from that trip, we'll schedule a full team Zoom meeting and share with you what to expect.

I can tell you right now, based on the commitment of our Italian colleagues, this is going to be an extraordinary Final Leg, and an event that will likely change your life in many positive ways.

Folks, I can't emphasize this enough; we will likely have many inclines and declines in our runs, some of which are in ski villages. Also, we will likely have a number of runs over cobblestones. Make sure you have supportive running shoes, and possibly consider some type of ankle support. Our goal is that everyone starts and finishes every run!

If you have questions, please don't hesitate to do so by making a comment in the blog. If you have the question in your head, you know your teammates do as well.

Can't wait to see you all soon!

Winter - Turin, Italy

Fundraising Update

 

Flanery Takes Commanding Lead!

Jason Flanery from the great state of Missouri has jumped out to a commanding lead in the fundraising race! Jason has amassed over $4,170 so far! Overall, the team has raised just shy of $9,000. We're off to a good start.

If you have not done so already, and your agency allows you, please create your fundraising page and start raising money. There are three fundraising goals for you to hit in order to earn some awesome memorabilia.

$5,000 raised earns you an official 2025 Final Leg Torch

$7,500 raised earns you the CHOICE of an official 2025 Final Leg Torch, or a ceremonial miner's lamp like the one used to transport the Flame of Hope

$10,000 raised earns you an official 2025 Final Leg Torch AND a miner's lamp  

If you are a Torch Runner, 50% of your fundraising dollars go back to your program and help defer the cost of your travel to and from Italy, and your uniform kit. If you are an athlete, 100% of your fundraising dollars go back to your program.

Good luck!

2025 LETR Final Leg Polar Plunge

 

2025 LETR Polar Plunge 

Fundraising Information

Hello Team, I hope this message finds all of you well. We are extremely excited to announce the fundraising information for the 2025 LETR Final Leg Polar Plunge. It will take place at the spectacular Piscina Stadio Momunentale in Torino (pictured below). In addition to being a beautiful venue, it sports multiple diving/jumping platforms, which could add another level excitement to our plunge. Now, this is being billed as a Polar Plunge, so the Planning Committee is at work on ideas for the "Polar" part of that plunge. Any team member is more than welcome to provide suggestions. 

We have assembled a number of resources to maximize your fundraising efforts, and I know you will find them very helpful.

This fundraiser is 100% voluntary, understanding that some law enforcement agencies do not allow fundraising. If you are not able to fundraise, you still are able to participate in the Polar Plunge.

There are also a number of fundraising incentives to encourage you to raise as much money as you possibly can and receive in return some very special memorabilia.

Our goal is to raise $300,000 USD, but we know we can do much better than that!

In order to access all of the fundraising information, follow this link:  Polar Plunge (letr.org), 

In addition to the individual incentives, the Team that raises the most money will receive a very special reward, which will be announced at our Welcome Dinner when we are all in Italy.

As usual, please don't hesitate to ask any questions, and let the competition begin!

How many miles did you run today?

Thanks!

Welcome Ross Christie!

 Welcome to New Team Leader, 

Ross Christie

It is with great disappointment that I announce Team #2 Leader, Ivan Shields, has had to withdraw from the 2025 Final Leg. Ivan suffered an ankle injury and due to complications, has just not healed in a manner that would allow him to prepare properly.

As heartbreaking as it is to see Ivan have to step away, I'm excited to announce that Ross Christie of Scotland will take over as the new Team #2 Leader. Ross is an experienced Torch Runner, dynamic personality and has a somewhat similar accent as our good friend, Ivan.

Ivan introduced Ross to Team #2 last night in the team's WhatsApp group and I know Ross will catch up very quickly!

Welcome aboard Ross!

What do I pack for Italy?

 

What Should I Pack for the Final Leg

One of the most challenging tasks with any Final Leg is packing - especially for a winter Final Leg. If you live in the United States or Canada, your Final Leg uniform kit will be shipped to you prior to your travel to Italy. If you live in any other area of the world, your kit will be shipped to Italy where you will receive it upon arrival at the hotel.

All of our clothing items will be provided by Columbia. You can expect to receive the following:

• (1) Heavy winter jacket
• (1) Softshell jacket
• (1) Fleece vest
• (2) Half-zip fleece vests
• (1) Hooded sweatshirt
• (2) Running pants
• (4) Running shirts
• (1) Long sleeve, collared shirt
• (1) Pair of gloves
• (1) Beanie
• (1) Tactical backpack

That's a lot of stuff!

This was a very difficult trip to plan in terms of running gear. While we will likely run in some very cold, possibly icy conditions, we may also be running in much milder weather. So, even on our warmest day, we will be in running pants and a long sleeve running shirt. Colder days will likely require layering. On each run, the Management Team will advise the Team Leaders what the "uniform of the run" will be. It's impossible to make 100 runners happy all the time, because some of us would prefer to run in shorts and a t-shirt, even if we have snotsickles running down our face. Others will want to run in a heavy jacket, no matter what the temperature. We'll do our best to find a happy medium. Regardless, we will always be uniform when running as a team.

Fortunately, nearly all your time will be in some variation of our uniform, but there will certainly be times when casual attire will be needed.

Here are items that are recommended to pack:

• Long sleeve Class "A" dress police uniform for the Opening Ceremony; NO GUN BELTS OR WEAPONS OF ANY KIND; if you do not wear a uniform, you will participate in our running gear
• A pair of jeans or casual pants for meals and evening wear (when we're not still in our running gear)
• (1) pair of tan or khaki pants for the Team parties
• Underwear (yes, we need to remind you)
• A couple casual shirts for down time
• Running shoes; (2) pair recommended; running in wet shoes is awful, and not healthy for your feet
• Sunglasses, referred to as "sunnies" on the Final Leg; when you are running with the torch, or we're taking formal pictures, master photographers David Smith and Frank Tewey will be yelling, "sunnies off!!"
• Underwear
• Casual shoes for dinners and leisure time
• BLACK/DARK GRAY Thermal socks and/or any other type of socks you wish to run with; NO COLORED SOCKS - PLEASE WEAR BLACK AND/OR DARK GRAY
• Passport and ID
• Medications - with corresponding documentation
• Extra contact lenses
• Toiletries for the duration of the Final Leg (hotels will likely provide soap and shampoo)
• Small container of detergent to wash small items in the room, if necessary; we will have laundry services on specific days during our stay
• Bathing suit (for pool and Polar Plunge)
• Underwear

Although it is not visible to all of you, please know that our plans for Italy are coming together nicely, albeit later than normal, we cannot wait to share with you the itinerary, because it should be spectacular.

Hang in there! Oh, did you run today?

Expression of Interest - Athens & Rome

 EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

PRE-FINAL LEG ACTIVITIES

During the Team Zoom Call last month, our Team Captain spoke about two opportunities available to Final Leg Team members.

The first opportunity is to attend the Flame Lighting Ceremony in Athens.  

This ceremony has taken place prior to the Final Leg for over 20 years.  It is arranged and managed by Special Olympics Hellas (Greece) and is held in one of two locations - the Acropolis or Zappeoin Hall, both in Athens.

In 2023, the Flame Lighting Ceremony was held at Zappeoin Hall.  For the first time since 2003, Final Leg Team members were able to travel to Athens and participate in the event (which included a Torch Run out of the Hall)

Click here to watch the video from the 2023 Flame Lighting

The Flame Lighting Ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, 25 February 2025, commencing around 11.00am.  

The second opportunity is to attend a mass where Pope Francis will bless the Flame of Hope.  To our knowledge, this will be a first for the Torch Run.

The timings and finer details of this event are not yet settled, but it is likely that the mass will be held in St Peter's Basilica within Vatican City in Rome on the morning of Wednesday, 26 February 2025.

If you've been paying attention, you may have realised that the timings for these two activities are very tight.

All Final Leg Team members need to be in Turin by the afternoon of Thursday, 27 February 2025 with the first Torch Run scheduled just 2 days later.

If you are thinking about participating in either or both of these activities, you should do so in the full knowledge that you'll have to manage your travel arrangements well.

A quick check of the Skyscanner website shows just two direct flights from Athens to Rome on the afternoon / evening of February 25 - Aegean at 4.25pm and ITA at 7.25pm.

If you travel to Athens, you will have to leave for the airport immediately following the Welcome Ceremony at the Italian Embassy if you want to be in Rome for the Papal Blessing.

You would have a bit more time following the blessing - you could stay in Rome on the nights of February 25 / 26 and catch a direct train to Turin on the morning of February 27.  The train journey takes about 5 hours.  Flights are also available.

Please click on the Take Survey image above to complete a Survey / Expression of Interest form advising us of your interest in attending one or both of these events.

We'd like everyone on the team to complete the form - it will provide us with a solid basis to take these ideas to the next stage.

If you have any questions about this proposal, don't hesitate to reach out to Mark McCorkle, Greg Dawson or myself.

Scott