Central Route Chronicles: August 2026 Edition

While traveling to Dallas for our annual Face to Face meeting with the Board of Directors and other Route Coordinators, a myriad of thoughts rolled through my head as it pertains to our mission.  We as a group spend countless hours planning and executing what is the largest organized cross-country ride to honor our veterans.  So I ask you… What is your why?  Why do YOU ride?  I am often asked this question when doing interviews with local media.  Do we focus on the mission year-round or do we just go through the motions for 10 days?  I challenge every rider to ask yourself this question.  It takes everyone moving in the same direction to make it work.

August is a special time of year for vacations and spending time with our families, but our State Coordinators are already contacting our hosts and raising funds. During the Run, you will notice that for 10 days, we are fed breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And how much do you pay for it? Nothing. This is due to our State Coordinators. Without them, the Run would not happen. If you see a brown hat walking around at any of our stops, thank them for their efforts. I want to personally thank every one of them for their hard work and dedication.

As we are in the initial stages of building our leadership team, I want to encourage you to fill out the volunteer application form. It can be found HERE. When your application is received, we will forward it to the appropriate team lead. On the Central Route Hub Contact list found HERE, you will notice that it is pretty bare. I encourage you to look through the list and see if there is any position that you may be interested. Keep in mind that FNG’s are not permitted to volunteer for these positions, as we want them to experience the Run without the obligation to a team.

Registration for the Angel Fire Reunion is currently open!  REGISTER HERE. If you would like to attend this amazing service project, I encourage you to register.  Registration will be closing August 21^st.  You will not be disappointed!  Keep in mind that this is not an official Run for the Wall event, and it is not just for the Central Route.  Many riders from all Routes have attended.