Final Leg Team Members;
Please see the latest Final Leg update that is attached…..keeping you informed!
All the best;
Team Captain
2015 Los Angeles Final Leg
Monday, June 22, 2015
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Final Leg Update - 18 June 2015
Final Leg Team Members;
Please see the attached letter for ANOTHER Final Leg update!
All the best;
Team Captain
2015 Los Angeles Final Leg
Final Leg Team Update - 15 June 2015
Final Leg Team Members;
Please see the attached letter for an important Final Leg update!
See you in 25 days!
All the best;
Friday, June 12, 2015
Final Leg Team Update - 27 May 2015
Dear Final Leg Team Members;
Yesterday, I had the honor to light the torch in Washington, DC for the kick-off of the Unified Relay Across America. This flame was originally lit at the sacred site of the Pinyx on May 14th under the careful watch of Alex Kappis, a Final Leg Logistics Team member from Greece. Alex guarded the flame and maintained its’ integrity. The flame eventually made it way to the United States thanks to our great partners at UPS who flew the flame from Greece to Philadelphia. After the torch was lit in Washington, DC yesterday, the flame began its 46 day journey through all 50 U.S. states, raising funds for Special Olympics and creating untold awareness along the way. On July 10th, the Team Leaders of the Final Leg Team will accept the torch back from the Unified Relay Across America as we begin our mission of creating awareness for Special Olympics throughout the state of California and building excitement for the 2015 Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles.
You will be in LA before you know it! The next 3,826,796 seconds are going to fly by and you will be landing at Los Angeles International Airport to begin your Final Leg mission!
At the airport you will be greeted by uniform members of the LAX police near your baggage claim area and will be directed to a rendezvous point where members of our Logistics Team will escort you on a ten minute fun filled ride to our arrival hotel, the Westin LAX. I will provide a little more detail on your arrival and transport to the hotel as we get a little closer.
I hope everyone has been keeping up with their e-mails as there have been quite a few time changes for the flights that our team members have been booked on. Every team member affected by any flight change received a direct e-mail from Garber FCM Travel detailing those changes.
There is a very exciting amenity that each team member will receive that I thought you should know about in advance in the event you were going to purchase these. Thanks to Team #2 Leader, Bill Proll, who has a high level contact with Oakley, each team member will be receiving a pair of Oakley sunglasses valued at $160!!!! Through Bill’s effort, Oakley has even personalized the sunglasses with the Final Leg logo! THANKS Bill!!!! You may want to buy Bill a refreshment (or two) when you see him!
We have had several changes on the Final Leg and due to an unforeseen circumstance, one team member, Jeff Miller from South Dakota, had to drop out and is unable to be replaced by his program. Two other members had to drop out and have been replaced, Jenny Dennis from New Mexico is being replaced by Ana Ortiz and Robin Mungo from Pennsylvania is being replaced by Christine McShea. Welcome aboard Ana and Christine!
Since we have some new additions to the team along with some minor modifications to ceremony sites, we have just published version II (the FINAL version) of the 2015 Los Angeles Final Leg Event Guide. This Guide is available for download through Dropbox at:
I hope that everyone has passed along the media template to your Special Olympics/Torch Run programs as well as your law enforcement agency to help create awareness for your participation in the 2015 Los Angeles Final Leg, awareness for Special Olympics and excitement for the World Games. I have seen a number of stories already about our team members and they are great! There was a great KABC story in Los Angeles about the Final Leg. Please check it out at:
So, the countdown is on and you should really be starting to think about what you are going to pack to bring with you. As I stated before, you should pack light!!! Everything you bring you, you will be carrying with you (except your law enforcement uniforms for Opening Ceremonies) along with the gear that you will receive. You will be receiving most of the clothes that you will be wearing for the duration of the event. If you need a reminder of what you should bring with you, please refer to my previous communications that can be found on our Final Leg website at www.letr-finalleg.org
VERY IMPORTANT If you wear a uniform, you are expected to bring your summer dress uniform with you for participation in Opening Ceremonies (including your hat). For those of you that don’t wear a uniform, you will be involved as well. We will store your uniforms securely upon your arrival and deliver them back to you prior to the Opening Ceremonies. NO guns or weapons of any kind including handcuffs are permitted. This applies to local California officers as well. If you wear a Sam Brown belt or other accoutrements on your uniform, remove your holster and handcuff case, ASP batons, Tasers, etc. from your belt.
OK, it’s time for a run! I’ll be back in three miles or 31 minutes and 30 seconds if anyone has any questions. That’s a 10 minute 30 second mile, an average pace for our Torch Runs in California….please be prepared!
All the best;
Team Captain
2015 Los Angeles Final Leg
Final Leg Team Update - 20 May 2015
Dear Final Leg Team Members;
The excitement is building!!!! We are now only 51 days away from the start of the Final Leg and our important mission to build excitement for the 2015 Los Angeles World Games and awareness for Special Olympics throughout the great state of California and around the world!
I hope that your programs have taken advantage of the boilerplate media release that we sent to you several weeks ago to begin building excitement and creating awareness in your own communities!
Yesterday, the Flame of Hope arrived in the United States after being lit on the sacred site of the Pnyx in Athens, Greece on May 14th. The Flame is now being entrusted to law enforcement officers who will be Route Leaders on the three routes of the historic Unified Relay Across America, traversing thousands of miles across the United States touching all 50 states and spreading awareness for Special Olympics in a manner never done before.
On July 10th, Team Leaders from the Final Leg will receive the Flame of Hope from the URAA in a ceremony in Los Angeles and the Final Leg Team will then be entrusted with maintaining the integrity of the Flame though our 14 day Final Leg event starting in Sacramento on July 13th and safely delivering it to the Opening Ceremonies of the 2015 Los Angeles World Games on July 25th.
Please take a minute to look at this great media piece from TV station KABC that aired yesterday…..this is GREAT!!!!
I look forward to seeing everyone soon!
All the best;
Team Captain
2015 Los Angeles Final Leg
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Final Leg Team Update - 13 May 2015
Dear Final Leg Team Members;
We are now only 58 days away from our Final Leg mission. Things are really starting to happen now. The media attention will begin picking up as the excitement builds. I hope each and everyone one of you had the opportunity to utilize the boilerplate press release I sent announcing your participation in the Final Leg. Your Torch Run/SO program should utilize their media contacts to help build excitement in your local community and highlight your participation in this historic event.
I know all of the Team Leader have been communicating with their teams building the esprit de corp and your team identity. As we get closer to the event you should be putting in some mileage getting yourself prepared for the daily runs. While the individual runs are not great distances, they will be repeated four to six time a day for thirteen days. The weather will be between hot and hotter and you will need to be very aware about maintaining your hydration.....that is extremely important!!! Train hard and be ready!!!!
We are still finalizing details on housing for the Final Leg and they may be a few slight alterations in the rooming assignments that I will get to you as soon as everything is solidified. On at least one night there will be four or five to a suite (four or five bedrooms and two baths). There is also a ceremony location that has changed and we will get you all of those details in an upcoming communication.
I'm sure everyone is starting to think about packing and what they should bring with them so here are some reminders.
Here is a list of what you will receive with your uniform kit (the majority of what you will wear for 15 days!):
• Six (6) moisture wicking running t-shirts (three different colors)
• Two polo shirts
• One button down, short sleeve shirt
• Four (4) pair running shorts
• One (1) running/track type suit
• One (1) baseball style hat
• Six (6) pairs of running socks (ankle)
• Fanny pack
• Back pack
• Large Gear bag for your clothing
Logistics & Documentation Team members will receive regular shorts....not running shorts!
The objective is for all Final Leg team members to pack very light as you will be receiving most of the clothes that you will be wearing during the Final Leg event.
WHAT SHOULD I BRING WITH ME?
Recommended list of what to bring:
• A pair of jeans or casual pants for meals and evening wear
• One or two pairs of casual shorts
• 1 pair of khaki or tan pants for the Team Party
• Underwear
• A couple short sleeve t-shirts and/or sweatshirts for on-your-own wear — bring items from your own Torch Run program if available
• Running shoes, 2 pairs recommended
• Sunglasses, sunscreen, and lip protection
• A pair of casual shoes for dinners and leisure time
• Extra pairs of socks for running and leisure time
• Appropriate ID for air travel, and passport/visa if required
• Medications
• If you wear them, extra contact lenses if possible due to the heat
• Toiletries for the duration of the Final Leg—hotels provide soap and shampoo
• Camera and batteries
• Small container of Woolite or detergent to wash out an item or two during the event
• Mesh laundry bag with your name on it for laundry during the Final Leg event
• Notebook or journal to record your Final Leg experiences, memories, and stories—you will be glad you did!
• Bathing Suit (for pools and ocean)
ANOTHER reminder...law enforcement runners are required to bring their police summer dress uniforms with them to wear during Opening Ceremonies. Do not bring weapons, ammunition, holsters, or any belt accessories such as handcuffs…this includes local law enforcement! You will not be allowed into Opening Ceremonies with any weapons!!! Please do bring your leather “Sam Browne” belt (with under-belt and keepers if needed) and buckle, and remember to bring your dress coat, hat and police shoes. We will store your uniform in a secure facility upon your arrival and return it to you prior to Opening Ceremonies so you do not have to carry it around with you during the Final Leg event. If you do not wear a police uniform, don’t fret, you will be participating in the Opening Ceremonies in another way.
For those individuals from countries that need a U.S. Visa to visit the United States, PLEASE make sure that you have already made application for them as you will not be permitted to board your plane without your passport AND a valid VISA.
I know your Team Leaders will continue to build excitement within your respective teams in the coming weeks and we will be in Los Angeles before you know it.
I will be sending you more information and updates as we get closer. In the mean tme, please don't hesitate to contact me or your Team leader if you have any questions or concerns.
All the best;
Team Captain
2015 Los Angeles Final Leg
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Final Leg Team Update - 17 April 2015
The time is getting ever closer and at this moment we are just 123,210 minutes away from the beginning of our Final Leg adventure.
All of the plans are coming together and I am getting more excited as each minute passes. The incredible Final Leg Logistics Team has not left a stone unturned in their efforts to make this the most impactful and memorable Final Leg event ever!
I wanted to bring you up to speed on a couple of things. First and foremost, we welcome a new member of the Final Leg Team, Sébastien Charlebois from Quebec, Canada. Sébastien replaces Patrick Denis from Quebec who unfortunately had to drop out due to an injury that would prevent him from running by the time the Final Leg event rolls around.
There have been a couple minor changes in the speaking schedule due to changes in our schedule. Please review the attached schedule carefully to make sure that you know here you are speaking! In regards to your speaking assignments, as we discussed previously, law enforcement officers, please be thinking of 2-3 gift items to bring and present to dignitaries at your assigned ceremony. Police and Torch Run related items are the best items to bring—or something symbolic from your state, province, or nation. This does not have to be anything of great value, but something that is thoughtful and appropriate. Special Olympics athletes, we have produced special 2015 Final Leg medallions for you to present, so you don’t have to worry about bringing any presentation items unless you want to.
The runs have all been finalized on all three of the routes and we have some great runs that will create a lot of excitement as we run into the various ceremony locations. All of these running routes have been created with “purpose.” In other words, we will not be running past cornfields or cow pastures or down vacant city streets. We will be running to fulfil our mission of creating excitement for the 2015 Los Angeles World Games and Special Olympics! Our average run is going to be less than a mile into each ceremony. There will be a few exceptions. An example, the run across the Golden Gate Bridge (truly a once in a life-time opportunity!) will be a 1.9 mile run followed by a 2 mile run along the waterfront to Aquatic Park. After lunch there will be another 1.1 mile run to City Hall for a total of 5 miles of running for that day. This is less than the average total miles for a typical day of running, but longer runs, instead of more short runs.
Remember, these “runs” are 10-12 minute mile pace and no one will be forced to run beyond their capability. The better shape you are in and prepared for the Final Leg, the more you will enjoy it!
I have heard a lot of great things already about pre-Final Leg publicity for our runners and athletes. We have put together a boilerplate press release that your agency and/or Torch Run/Special Olympics programs can send out to the local press to recognize you and all of the individuals that you will be representing in your state/country on the Final Leg. I have also attached a “guidance sheet” in that regard. Special Olympics, Inc. and the GOC will be making a worldwide release about the Final Leg Team in the near future. The attached press release is more for your local media to provide them with information and hopefully create more awareness for Special Olympics and the Torch Run in your home towns, states and countries.
I’m sure you have heard about the Unified Relay Across America. Special Olympics' Unified Relay Across America is a historic event with three simultaneous torch runs, held from East Coast to West Coast, to kick-off the Special Olympics World Games in July 2015. For more than 33 years, law enforcement officers have been volunteering together to champion acceptance and inclusion for people with intellectual disabilities through the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics. Lighting the way to a future of inclusion, law enforcement officers have used the Flame of Hope as our beacon to unite their communities in acceptance. This year, we will take our role as Guardians of the Flame to a new level as we champion the Special Olympics Unified Relay Across America presented by Bank of America.
For those of you from U.S. programs, this is a great opportunity to utilize your Final Leg “celebrity” status by participating in the Unified Relay to raise money and create awareness in your local program. For more information on the Unified Relay Across America, please visit: www.unifiedrelay.org
I hope that everyone has had the opportunity to download the Final Leg Event Guide. This document provides a lot of information about our event and can be especially helpful to you in the event you are interviewed about your participation as a result of the local media outreach from the press release. To download a copy, please go to:
I am aware that several of you are staying over for a few days after the conclusion of the Final Leg event to go to the Games. If you are doing this and would like to get Honored Guest credentials, please let me know right away and I will make the appropriate arrangements. This will allow you greater access and some other amenities.
As we get closer, please start memorizing our Final Leg cadences! We will be singing our hearts out along the routes letting everyone know who we are and what we are doing! Everywhere we go, people want to know, who we are, where we come from, so we tell them. We are the Torch Run, mighty, mighty Torch Run……………
That’s it for now! Please don’t hesitate to contact your Running Team Leader or me if you have any questions or concerns. Let’s continue to keep the momentum going! This is going to be an unbelievable event and a historic opportunity to help spread awareness for Special Olympics and our Torch Run efforts throughout the beautiful state of California. TOGETHER, WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!!
Wishing you all the very best;
John Newnan
Team Captain
2015 Los Angeles Final Leg
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Final Leg Team Update - 1 April 2015
Dear Final Leg Team Members;
Greetings, I hope this e-mail finds everyone well and excited about the 2015 LA Games and the Final Leg! It's exactly 100 days before the Final Leg team is on the ground on July 11th in LA and ready to create excitement for the Games and spread awareness for Special Olympics!
Please follow the link below (or cut and paste it into your browser) to the 2015 Los Angeles Final Leg Event Guide:
You can download the Event Guide from this link of from a link on the Final Leg website at www.letr-finalleg.org . Please feel free to share this document. The Guide is in a .pdf format and it is indexed so you can go directly to a specific section of interest to you.
The Final Leg Event Guide contains information about; the Final Leg event, the 2015 Los Angeles Special Olympics World Summer Games, the Law Enforcement Torch Run, Special Olympics, Team members & profiles, Final Leg Routes, Ceremony locations, law enforcement & athlete speaking assignments for ceremonies and much more!
I would like to thank Scott Whyte of the New South Wales Police Department in Australia, a Torch Run volunteer, for all his hard work, dedication and commitment in putting this Guide together. This was no easy task and Scott certainly had the "patience of Job" in this monumental task.
Late next week I will be sending a boiler plate press release to all team members that you can use for your local media announcing your participation in the Final Leg. This is an opportunity to help spread further awareness about your efforts and the efforts of your LETR program to benefit Special Olympics in your own communities as well as build excitement for the 2015 Los Angeles Special Olympics World Summer Games.
If you have any questions or concerns in the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me or your Team Leader.
All the best;
Team Captain
2015 Los Angeles Final Leg
Monday, March 16, 2015
Final Leg Team Update - 17 March 2015
Dear Final Leg Team Members;
In the spirit of Saint Patrick Day (tomorrow), Cead Mile Failte! A “hundred thousand welcomes” to our Final Leg adventure!
The clock is ticking and we are getting closer, only 117 days until we all arrive in Los Angeles to begin our amazing journey through 135 cities in towns all across the great state of California. Our mission as Guardians of the Flame and the impact we can have building excitement for the World Games and awareness for Special Olympics is beyond measure!
It is important that you arrive in the best shape possible as our schedule is intense, intentionally, so that we can cover as much territory as possible spreading our message. By the way, this past weekend while in Los Angeles, it was 92 degrees! Quite a relief for me where we had a foot of snow the previous week in Maryland but also a preview of the Final Leg weather to come!
I just came back from Los Angeles from some great meetings where all the pieces of the puzzle are coming together. Our Torch Runs will include many iconic sites and areas all over California, specifically designed to get us the “most bang for our buck” with media exposure and opportunity to reach thousands upon thousands of people with the intent of making each and every one of them a new fan and supporter of Special Olympics! Are you up for a run across the Golden Gate Bridge? How about a run to the Queen Mary or a Torch Run down Hollywood Boulevard? Anyone care to show off their skills on Muscle Beach? These are just a sampling of the areas we will visit during the Final Leg event…..it’s going to be amazing!
In my previous communication I provided the ceremony locations. We have now completed the speaking assignments and I have attached them to this e-mail. Most of the law enforcement runners will be speaking at two (2) ceremonies with the athletes each speaking at multiple ceremonies. We had previously touched on the gift exchange tradition at each ceremony. Law Enforcement runners, we ask that you bring something from your city/state/town, police department, Torch Run programs, or Special Olympics program to present to the local law enforcement speaker. This could be a mug, Torch Run t-shirt, local Torch Run medallion, patch from your agency, local history book, about your country/state/town/agency, etc. The gift does not have to be elaborate but should be meaningful. In the past, local Chambers of Commerce and Tourism Boards have been able to assist runners with these gifts in many instances. If you are speaking at two ceremonies, and most of you are, we ask that you bring two gifts for the exchange. Athletes, we will provide you with a Final Leg medallion to present as your gift so you this does not apply to you.
I hope that everyone has been communicating with one another at the team level, building excitement and esprit de corp! I have seen many of you on Facebook and know that a couple of the teams have even created their own Final Leg Team Facebook page….that is great!
After painstaking review of all the runner profiles, we have completed the rooming assignments for the entire Final Leg event. There are many times that the entire Final Leg Team (all three routes) will be rooming in the staying at the same location in the evenings and this is great. That gives us the opportunity to get to know each other better across the team as a whole and not just on our individual routes. In selecting roommates we tried our best to room runners with varying degrees of Torch Run and Special Olympics together as well as being very geographically diverse. Ten law enforcement runners and ten athletes were selected to be roommates and have already been notified so that they could have the opportunity to get to know one another before the event.
I have attached the spreadsheet with your roommate to this e-mail. As I stated, a lot of research and thought went in to the assignment of roommates and they are not subject to change.
Stay tuned for more information. We will be providing each runner with a template press release that you can use in your own communities to let them know about your selection to the Final Leg team and the important mission that you are about to embark on and create awareness for the World Games and Special Olympics. All you will have to do is fill in the blanks for your name and program and it has all of the other information that you need. Our Final Leg Event Guide should also be completed shortly and we will provide you with a Dropbox link where you can download that.
If you have any questions or concerns in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact your Team Leader or me.
John Newnan
Team Captain
2015 Los Angeles Final Leg
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Final Leg Update - 14 February 2015
Dear Final Leg
Team Members;
It's been a
little while since out last general team communication but we wanted to be able
to give you as much detail as possible and we are now at a point where we have
solidified many of our plans and want to share them with you! We have
been working hard on every aspect of the Final Leg from flights, to routes,
ceremonies, accommodations, uniforms and so much more. Flights are still
being booked, so if you have not received your flight itinerary, you should be
receiving them shortly. Our travel agent has been overwhelmed over the
last several weeks with flight cancellations and re-schedules due
to significant weather (snow) issues here on the east coast of
the United States.
I have attached
a letter that goes in to great detail about the Final Leg event. There
are still more details being worked out and we will provide you with
information as it becomes available.
The next big
step for you as a runner is to have your program or the person responsible pay
your uniform cost.
We have been
able to keep the cost of the uniform kit down due to the generosity of our
great partner, Adidas. Each program is responsible for the payment of the
runner’s uniform kit. The total cost of the uniform kit is $425
USD. We need all of the programs to go to our Final Leg website
and make payment for the uniform kit as soon as possible. Special
Olympics Athletes, Logistics Team Members and Running Team
Leaders, this does not apply to you.
Payment is made
through a secure server on our website via credit card,
Mastercard, Visa, Discover, American Express or e-check. In order to make
payment, please go to the Final Leg website at www.letr-finalleg.org. Once
you are on the site, click on the “2015 Los Angeles” tab on the top menu bar,
then click on “Uniform Payments” from the drop down list. This is a
password protected site. The User name for this area will be the same for
everyone making payment as well as the password.
The User
Name is: uniform
The Password is: payment
These are case
sensitive and must be all lower case as written above!
There
are five (5) programs that cannot pay with this method due to the payment
vender not having agreements with their countries; Bahamas,Cyprus,
Gibraltar, Turks & Caicos & St. Kitts & Nevis. We will
contact you individually for a credit card number for this payment.
After reading
the attached letter with the Final Leg updates, if you have any questions or
concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me or your respective Team Leader.
See you in 146
days!
All the best;
John Newnan
Team Captain
2015 Los
Angeles Final Leg
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