A ruck, followed by a fitness contest to support veterans experiencing homelessness is set to go this weekend.
The event will culminate in Wiarton with a barbecue, horseshoe tournament, veterans market, live music and a beer tent.
The non-profit Ruck to Remember is organizing the event, with the help of the legion in Wiarton, which will see a group of veterans, service members and supporters ruck (to carry weight at speed) 75 km from the Canadian Armed Forces’ 4th Canadian Division Training Centre in Meaford, to Wiarton.
Ruck 2 Remember founder and president Lino Di Julio says, “The people who are competing are pretty interesting characters.” He notes, some have served with the Canadian Special Operations Regiment (CSOR) and a number of other veterans are taking part. “They’re great fun loving guys,” says Di Julio noting some of them have been training hard ahead of the event.
Last year, Ruck to Remember walked the Bruce Trail from Tobermory to Niagara to raise money for Operation Leave The Streets Behind, which supports homeless veterans. In the past ten years, Ruck to Remember has raised $800,000 for homeless veterans, police and emergency responders. The goal this year is to make it to $1 million.
They’ll begin their ruck at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, the 25th in Meaford and walk 36.5 km to the Owen Sound Legion. On Saturday the 26th, they will continue rucking at 8:30 a.m. for 35.4 km to the Wiarton Legion.
An event will be held Saturday, the 26th at Bluewater Park in Wiarton. Activities include a horseshoe tournament, live music and a pork dinner from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
On Sunday, before participants can recover from their two-day ruck, a fitness contest will be held that will see those who did the 75km ruck compete in a fitness challenge which will include pushups, sit-ups, a sandbag race, a canoe challenge, kims games, boulder lift, farmer carry and tug of war.
Di Julio says there’s a saying in the military which is, “Nobody cares what you can do fresh…because that’s not what your job is going to be,” he adds, “That’s why we’re doing two days of rucking and on the third day, we’re doing the physical contest.”
There will also be a Vet market in the park. Di Julio says, “We have a number of organizations or not-for-profits that are coming to set up tables or booths. We invited a lot of our friends who run their own businesses and that was their transition out of the military.” Di Julio says there will be apparel vendors, some coffee vendors, local businesses that support veteran organizations.
Proceeds from the walk and associated events will go to Operation: Leave the Streets Behind, a charity run by the Royal Canadian Legion.
Di Julio says, “Any obstacle ort hurdle or barrier that’s put in the way of a veteran that has decided that yes, I am willing, and ready and able, and in a place to go get help…that barrier to entry needs to be nil.”
You can follow them on Instagram or Facebook or visit their website to learn more. You can listen to Lino Di Julio and Wiarton Legion Vice President Joe Vanderzand on the Open Line show by clicking on the audio bar below:
