Can you feel it? We are getting close!
Advice For New Riders
If you haven’t already started, this would be the time to get prepared for the run. Get yourself ready by exercising, walking and most importantly, riding. As the weather permits, try to get in some long-distance rides, 100 miles or more at least. Also get used to hydrating by drinking lots of water and electrolytes each day. Make sure your bike is serviced and ready to go. Start going over your packing list and do a trial loadout on your bike. If you are an FNG (Fine New Guy/Gal) you are probably planning to bring too much stuff (we all did our FNG year).
DON’T BE THIS GUY!
You don’t need 5 pair of jeans and 15 shirts and 14 pair of socks and underwear and 4 pair of boots/shoes. There will be time to do laundry (so do bring laundry soap, I use washer sheets which are easy to pack). There is a list of what to pack on the website under Frequently Asked Questions. You don’t necessarily need everything on the list, but it is a good guideline.
Prepaid Fuel
Yes, Sandbox is doing prepaid fuel again this year. The cost will be $65.00 and everyone gets to participate. (That’s just a nice way to say prepaid fuel will be mandatory). There are three (3) ways to pay for prepaid fuel.
1) Use Zelle to send the money to Sandbox.Route@rftw.us (don’t forget the dot between Sandbox and Route). Be sure to annotate that it is for “Sandbox prepaid fuel”. 2) Send a check made out to: Run For The Wall, Inc. Put “Sandbox prepaid fuel” in the memo line. Mail to: RFTW Treasurer, 50 Fourth Ave Unit 1445, Dayton, NV 89403 3) Pay cash at check-in either in Ontario or DC. There are no credit card options. Please remember, even with prepaid fuel you need to come to Staging each morning with a full tank of gas.
Flight 93 Memorial Visit
There is some very exciting news about the Flight 93 Memorial for this year. The reason we are KSU at 7:30 am from Springfield (vise 8:00 am) is so we have more time at the 
Flight 93 Memorial. Last year the Rangers moved their schedule around so we could see the entire presentation they provide about some of the passengers on that flight. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get up to the Visitor and Learning Center. This year we will have a 48-passenger bus dedicated to RFTW that will shuttle riders, from the lower area, where we park, to and from the visitor center. Additionally, we will get to see the entire presentation we saw last year at 1:00 pm (for those that missed it or want to see it again) titled “Called to Action”, and a new presentation at 2:00 pm called “Caretaker of Heros” which talks about what took place after the crash, the Frist Responders, and how they figured out what happened. More information about timing and logistics to follow.
Arlington Cemetery
Thanks to the efforts of our DC Coordinator, Ed Wehner, RFTW will again be allowed to have 75 motorcycles (150 people) ride into Arlington National Cemetery on Saturday, May 24. The RCs are working on the details of how the riders will be selected and how many will be from each route. Additionally, we will be allowed to have four (4) deserving candidates (one from each route) lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The ceremony will take place at 1:15 pm. The Sandbox Team Leader’s meeting starts at 2:30 pm at the American Legion Post 176 followed by other meetings, so please plan accordingly. The complete meeting schedule will be in the Sandbox Itinerary Book which will be available later in March.
Behind the Scenes
The first person “behind the scenes” this month is Brandon “Five-O” McCray. Almost all volunteers on RFTW wear a hat, but Brandon wears many. He is the Sandbox Route 
Senior Chaplin and oversees the Chaplin Corps, the Chase Team, and the Hydration Team. Additionally, he is the Ohio State Coordinator and does an amazing job coordinating with the local Ohio LEOs to get us safely across the state, and the great town of St. Clairsville for allowing us to be a part of their amazing Memorial Day Ceremony. Last year, we lost our dinner and breakfast host, North Star Polars (due to family obligations), and Brandon had to scramble to secure another supporter and location. He was able to get the Belmont County Tourism Council to step up and they took great care of us.
The second person that helps keep the Sandbox gears turning is Shirley “Top Sarge” Scott. She is the Registration Team Leader for both Sandbox and Southern Routes. 
Shirley didn’t serve in the military, but if you know her, you have no doubts as to why her road name is “Top Sarge” (and I mean that in a very caring and respectful way). She and her team spend countless hours putting together the registration packets we get at check-in along with verifying hundreds of rider’s registration information in Ontario, in DC, and along the Sandbox Route as well. Give Shirley a big hug when you see her.
Our Mission
“To promote healing among ALL veterans and their families and friends, to call for an accounting of all Prisoners of War and those Missing in Action (POW/MIA), to honor the memory of those Killed in Action (KIA) from all wars, and to support our military personnel all over the world.”
Freedom Isn’t Free
Say Their Name, Tell Their Story, Never Forget
Bill “COB” Brehler 
Route Coordinator
RFTW Sandbox 2025
Due to circumstances beyond our control, Midway Route Photos from previous runs are no longer available. 