At its heart, the ruck is a fundraising event for an amazing orginization.  That said, the ruck itself is an equally challanging and rewarding adventure/endurance race.  You'll ruck through every town on Cape Cod, creating lasting memories with your teammates as you collectively cover 200+ miles over up to 36 hours.  You'll experience the commradery of a team living, suffering, and overcoming together in close quarters, as you will call a "large" passanger van home for the duration of the event.  Throughout every mile you cover on the course, you will carry a 10-20lb ruck, symbolic of the burden of war every service member is forced to carry during active service and beyond, and the hardships endured and the perseverance required to complete the mission.

Heroes in Transition was founded in 2009 in memory of Capt. Eric A. Jones, a Marine helicopter pilot, who lost his life while supporting a combat mission in Afghanistan, October 26, 2009. “He flew helicopters to be close to the troops on the ground and be there to help them when they needed it most,” said Cyndy Jones, Eric’s mother and one of the founders of Heroes in Transition. The organization carries on Capt. Jones’ mission by providing assistance to those who have served or who are serving our country, especially in the Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom conflicts. 

This is an endurance event, and an opportunity to raise funds and awareness for veterans and military families, not a race. We understand that there will always be a certain level of competitiveness that cannot be divorced from an event of this nature. Please do not let ego replace the reason you chose to participate in the Ruck4HIT. That being said, we have created two divisions, based on Eric’s life and his service, both defined by integrity and punctuated with honor.

Common to both divisions:

• Course 
  • Every team runs the same 200+ mile course, no one left behind
  • Relay format
  • Each leg between 2-4 miles
  • 9-10 legs per Rucker 
  • Average mileage ~25 miles per Rucker in total
• Rucks
  • Participants > 160lbs wear a 20lb ruck
  • Participants <160lbs wear a 10lb ruck
  • RUCKS required
    • no plate carriers
    • no weight vests
• Van - Up to 15 Passanger VAN
  • No campers/RV's/busses

The time release allows the event to finish on time, every time.  The target pace for the event is 10:25/mile or better.  In the (quite normal) event that a teams average pace falls below this target, each exchange point has a corresponding "release time" at which the outgoing runner is released whether or not the incoming runner is there to tag them.

So the time release for a given exchange is: 

"The time designated, based upon the minimum pace, that a runner shall depart an exchange and begin the subsequent leg, without having to wait for the previous rucker to finish the prior leg."

If your team is in the Jethro division, but your teams average pace falls below 10:25/mile, you can still utilize the time releases, but your team will be moved into the Jones division.