Full Team Meeting

 

        First Full Team Meeting

Hello Everyone,

The pieces are starting to fall into place! We have successfully assembled the entire running team, which is 59 strong, including Torch Runners, Athletes and our illustrious Team Leaders. We will be adding our compliment of Logistics folks in the coming months.

In the meantime, it's time to start getting ready. I know we are 11 months away, but that time will go by in a flash!

Our first full team meeting will take place on Wednesday, August 20th at 2 PM Mountain Time (4 PM EDT; 3 PM CDT, 1 PM PDT, 12 PM Alaska and 10 AM in Hawaii). The link is at the bottom of this post and will be sent to you in an email. It is impossible to try and meet all of our scheduling needs, so if you cannot make this meeting, I will share the transcription. 

As you are aware, the start of our Final Leg will officially begin in Chicago with the Flame Lighting on May 29th. The Athletes and Torch Runners from Minnesota and Illinois will be on hand for that. Following the Flame Lighting, we will split into Route 1 and Route 2, which we have previously discussed. On June 14th, the two routes will arrive in Minnesota, and the balance of the team arrives on June 15th.

The running schedule is extremely tentative right now, so I am not yet going to share. I can tell you we are scheduled for 12 total ceremonies and stay in three different hotels along the way. 

This is going to be a fantastic trip, and I can't wait for us to be together on this journey.

In the meantime, I cannot stress strongly enough the need to be physically prepared. It's going to be hot, it's going to be humid and on at least one of the days, we will have four runs and ceremonies. 

Please, please, please train for a 10 minute per mile pace for three miles. Do we always run that fast? No. BUT, there is plenty of precedence that due to scheduling issues, we have to pick up the pace. Secondarily, we do not always have the luxury for what is known as the "Sag Wagon," a vehicle that picks up those who cannot physically make the run. Most importantly, we want you to enjoy every minute of this experience, and if you're sucking gas because you did not physically prepare yourself, you could really be miserable. Bottom line, there is plenty of time for everyone to be physically ready for this extraordinary experience.

Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions.

Here is the meeting link:

Mark McCorkle is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: 2026 FINAL LEG TEAM MEETING

Time: Aug 20, 2025 02:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/9458736772?omn=91558384009

View meeting insights with Zoom AI Companion

https://zoom.us/launch/edl?muid=0e4c5497-494d-4b1a-87c7-113e14486d23

Meeting ID: 945 873 6772

Look forward to seeing all of you on August 20th!