Hello Ruck the Ridge volunteers!

Thank you for your willingness to help host the fourth annual Living Free Together “Ruck the Ridge” event!  We are looking forward to a great day. Here are a few notes about what to expect:

• The event will be held on Saturday, November 8th, 2025 at the Blue Ridge School in St. George, VA ( link to Google maps )

• Parking for volunteers will be available in the main RtR parking lot - across from the main entrance to the Blue Ridge School.  Once you park, cross the street and walk in the main school entrance gate, our volunteer support area will be on your left.  The main RuckFest area will be on your right.

• We have established 2 primary shifts for volunteer support with assignments in a variety of locations and functions, to include parking, kids activities, check-in, start/finish, and others.

• The morning shift will meet at 7am at the main RuckFest area.  We will quickly review and assign remaining set-up tasks and then get to work.  Our goal is to have all setup complete by 8am.  At 8:00am we will transition to designated volunteer assignments until noon.  After the conclusion of their shift, the morning shift is invited to enjoy lunch provided by Mission BBQ at the volunteer support tent.

• The afternoon shift will meet at 11:30am at the volunteer support area to enjoy lunch and then move to their assignments just before noon.  The afternoon shift will cover designated volunteer assignments from noon until 2:30pm and will then help with general clean-up tasks.  We anticipate clean-up being complete by 4:30pm.

• The main area for the RuckFest will be on the right after entering the main school gate - directly across the entrance road from the volunteer support area.  It is a large open field with a small domed observatory and a 40 foot tall climbing tower. 
• Ruck participant check-in opens at 8:10am.  We will hold an Opening ceremony at 8:30am, a Veterans Day ceremony at 1pm, and activities at the RuckFest will be available from 8:40am until 2:30pm.  I’ll include the full schedule for the day’s events at the end of this email.

• Please dress accordingly - the weather should be great, but it will be cooler and more windy at the BRS than it is around Charlottesville.  And if we get any rain that morning you may want a rain jacket or even a change of clothes.  I also highly recommend that you wear boots or sturdy shoes.

• In the volunteer area, in addition to Mission BBQ for lunch we will have some snacks throughout the day. Please bring your own refillable water bottle - we will have water stations available to refill water.   

• Please be aware that we can’t allow pets at Ruck the Ridge, so we’re asking all volunteers and participants to please leave their dogs at home for the day.

Here is the current plan for volunteer assignments, let me know if your name isn’t where you expected to see it!  

***For Scout Troops 114 & 3125, you will have a lot of flexibility to cover your assignments however you choose (you don’t necessarily need to stick to our am/pm shift schedule).  Our Volunteer Coordinator, Derek Funk, will meet you at the main RuckFest area at 7:30am to explain your stations and help to coordinate your coverage.

We look forward to seeing you all on Saturday, November 8th!  If anyone won’t be able to be there at their designated shift meeting (7am or 11:30am), please let John Bruggeman know (email to john@livingfree2gether.org) so that we can plan accordingly.

Thank you again for your support of Living Free Together, the military community and this unique event. Without your support, LFT could not meet its mission of enriching, encouraging and empowering the military families of Charlottesville to live their best Lives!  Please take a moment to connect with us on our social media platforms for the latest updates.  Here are the links:

https://www.facebook.com/Rucktheridge/

https://www.instagram.com/rucktheridge/

Ruck the Ridge 2025 schedule of events:

07:00 - volunteers gather at BRS

07:15 - setup check-in table, volunteer support tent, final stage configuration, final RuckFest activities, and final start/finish line preparation (to include water refill station there)

07:45 - parking opens

08:10 - check-in opens

08:15 - RuckFest activity set up is complete

08:15 - RuckFest Expo table/booth set up is complete

08:30 - Opening Ceremony (opening remarks, sponsor recognition, National Anthem) 

08:40 - first ruck start (individuals only until 9:00am)

08:40 - 2:30 pm - Ruck Fest activities

09:00 - first team ruck starts (team & individual starts)

12:30pm - last ruck starts (team or individual)

1:00pm - Veterans Day Ceremony (introductory remarks, sponsor recognition, guest speaker)

2:30pm - all participants complete and accounted for - ruck course closed

2:30pm - family activities complete, RuckFest and RuckExpo are closed

5:00pm - clean up complete

Thanks for your help!

John