Event Description

What is Vest Up 4 the Fallen #SIXFIVE- Boston 2 Bourne 

Vest Up 4 the Fallen is a 65 Mile Trek from Boston 2 Bourne that pays tribute Memorial Day weekend into Memorial Day honoring and remembering all U.S Armed Force members who paid the Ultimate Sacrifice in service to our nation since the American Revolutionary War. 

Why do we wear a Vest?

A Vest is a necessity in the military, as it provides increase levels of protection for service members, saves lives, and helps fellow service members secure and rescue a wounded or mortally wound service member, dragging them by their vest to safety in an emergency. 

By wearing a weighted vest you are keeping their memory alive and letting their loved ones know that you will never forget that sacrifice and the weight their loved ones carry in their heart is heavy, the sorrow is deep and their grief does not have a cure; for its forever!

Do You Have What it Takes- It time for YOU to Dig Deep, continue forward and carry them beyond their finish line, its time for you to VEST UP 4 the FALLEN!!

How much should your vest Weight:

Men between 15-20 lbs vest 

Women between 8-12 lbs vest 

Registration costs:

Registration is $65.00 that equals to one dollar per mile.

If you choose to fundraise $150.00 you will receive $65.00 off the initial registration fee but you will be required to raise the $150.00. ****** Please note: The registration fee of ($65.00) will be waived if you agree to raise at least $150. The deadline to raise money is Wednesday May 26 2021 at 11:59pm EDT. In signing up to fundraise you agree to meet the Fundraiser minimum of $150.00.  If You do not reach $150 in donations, You agree to pay the difference. 

Those who raise $150 or more will also receive an additional incentive. TBD

More about the event: 
 

The team will gather at the Boston Common near the Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Regiment Memorial statue, Boston, MA 02108, Saturday May 29, 2021 @ 11:59p.m.

We will step off on Sunday, May 30, 2021 @12:30a.m and walk through the Memorial Green where 37,000 flags are placed to honor the Massachusetts service members who died in service to our nation.

The team is to complete the mission and get to the Massachusetts National Cemetery, Connery Ave, Buzzards Bay, MA 02542- early morning/mid morning on Memorial Day, Monday May 31, 2021

To stay in compliance with Covid-19 mandates per Massachusetts, Please make sure to have a mask of some type, Neck Gaiter, shemagh etc.  

We will have support vehicles that will be with the team one trailing ahead, one behind and any others that join along the way staggered. The team will never be left without a support vehicle close by.

We will have a tracker link for the team as a whole but we suggest you add a tracker to your own phone as well.

The Tracker system we use is Glympse - Share GPS location Glympse is a fast, free and simple way to share your real-time location using GPS tracking, with any of your family or friends. https://glympse.com/get-glympse-app/

The team will make rest stops along the route to eat and freshen up. One of those stops will be at Alumni Sports Cafe in Pembroke where they will feed they team pizza and we will take group photos. 

Hydration is provided but we suggest you have hydration on you before you arrive and step off.

Pizza will be provided by Alumni Sports Cafe in Pembroke, MA

We will also have simple snacks for fuel but suggest you bring a bag or small cooler with your own food as we will have a Trailer so bags and coolers can be stored in there.

Gear to Pack-

1. Head Lamp or flash light 

2. Warm Jacket, Gloves, and Hat ( It gets cold on the Cape)

3. Hand warmers help when you get to the Cape

4. Body Powder

5. Reflective Gear

6. Change of socks

*****  If you stop to use the bathroom YOU CAN NOT be driven to catch up you must do what it takes to catch up to the team even if it means running. Why?? Because getting into a car only cheats yourself but most of all those you are doing it in honor of Our Fallen, Period!

What happens if you have to quit?

Do not leave without telling the Director of the event for they have to mark you as a DNF 

The team will say their good byes and you'll have to try again in 2022.

You are responsible for a Ride to pick you up. 

We will have support vehicles so you will not be left alone as one vehicle will be with you until your ride gets you. 

How did -Vest Up 4 The Fallen, Boston 2 Bourne first start? 

In 2020 as Covid-19 made life come to a halt in so many ways to include canceling Memorial Day Ceremonies across the Nation, President and Founder of Give2Those.org had seen many Gold Star Families, Veterans, Active Duty Members and Patriots  posting on social media about events all across America being canceled; she thought to herself Memorial Day should never be canceled. That's when she made it her goal to honor the fallen and came up with a plan, to Trek 65 miles from Boston Common to Massachusetts National Cemetery wearing a Vest in Honor and Remember the sacrifices made in service to our Nation. That being said close friends from Gold Star Families, Active Duty Members, First Responders and Patriots joined forces with her to walk along side and complete the mission with her. After the event people reached out and asked her if she would continue to put together this event and well now here we are 2021 and this May the journey will begin once again.

This event will take All That You've Got, It will take heart and Soul for your mind and body will have wanted to quit long before you get to the Cemetery. The question is DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES!!!!

The team will be going down route 3 and route 53 traversing through the following city and towns Boston, Quincy, Weymouth, Hingham, Norwell, Hanover, Pembroke, Duxbury, Kingston, Plymouth, Bourne until they reach their destination at the Massachusetts National Cemetery on Memorial Day Monday, May 31, 2020. 

Event Details:

Start Location: Boston Common; Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Regiment Memorial, Boston, MA 

Start Date & Time: 11:59 p.m Saturday, May 29, 2020 

Step Off Time: Sunday May 30 @ 12:30a.m 

Ending Date: Memorial Day Monday May 31 2021

Ending Time: Between Morning - Early Afternoon

Ending Location: Massachusetts National Cemetery, Connery Ave, Buzzards Bay, MA 02542 

The team will be raising funds for Give2Those.org a 501c3 non-profit organization

The mission of Give2Those is to step in and provide vital financial assistance and support when hardship, distress, and/or tragedy strikes an active duty member, veteran, first responder, or their family. In addition to providing financial assistance, Give2Those also focuses ​on ​engaging communities​ and citizen participation in taking time to honor, remember and reflect on the sacrifices made by those who serve; and to empower, encourage, support, and reconnect service members, veterans, first responders and their families with themselves, each other, and their community.