Most of the committe met for our customary breakfast @ 7am. It was going to be a long day and we needed to get a good base into us for the long haul. When that was done, we each broke into our respective directions; some headed straight for the Post, others headed back to their houses to get last minute items knocked off, and others headed off to run last minute run-preparations.
We Legion Riders assembled @ 9 and jumped in with helping ready the Post for what was to come. Tables were set up, raffle items were lain out, and the parking lot was staged with cones and caution tape. There was some tight-fitting in store for us!
Here; a couple of shot of the raffles tables. We had well over 100 items up for today!!
Sam Adams really came through for us; 24 cases of beer! (There were also top-notch items like Patriots tickets, a cooler full of whiskies, $100 gift cards, etc., etc., etc.) If you haven't made it to a Shayne's Run yet - you don't know what you're missing!
Artie had put this display together on his own, as a surprise to Billy and Mary (Shayne's parents). What an awe-inspiring, and awesome job he did!
Ok, everything is ready...let the crowds begin!! Ok, so there's quite a bit of 'down' time before things really start to get crazy.
Here's our Sgt At Arms (Doolo) and Joe, furiously working the throngs of arriving riders.
There wouldn't be much kicking around today, though. While things normally trickle in for the first couple of hours, we had a fairly steady stream of participants, and things were filling up quickly...
...and before long, we were running out of space to tuck bikes. Hey, it's a good problem to have!
A Marine Honor Guard came out to help show support for the run, and stood at attention during the registration process. It was quite an impressive sight!
Here, he's presenting a stone to Billy. I'd bumped into him out in the far parking lot when he arrived, and had helped him carry in some of his stones. What a great, great guy. Check out his Facebook site; https://www.facebook.com/herostars.capecod?fref=ts
It was a great bit of ceremony to help start the actual run.
And here was another awesome thing; Nate was able to attend this year's run! Nate was in the Humvee with Shayne when the IED hit, and was the sole survivor of the blast (four other Marines lost their lives). He thanked the Shayne's family for all they'd done for him, and said some encouraging words to the crowd. Man, we were amped up at this point - bring on the run!!!
Here, the Honor Guard makes their way out to, and across the street, to see us off.
The Honor Guard presentat our departure...
I was supposed to stay at the front, but blocking is too much fun, so I peeled offand blocked at the on-ramp from I-95. It was a perfect spot; it's a long, flat bridge and visibility from one end to the other is well over a mile in length. I could watch the bikes approaching, then roaring by, horns blaring, cheers raining down. I quickly lost sight of the front of the pack, but in the other direction, they just didn't stop coming! I kept looking forward, then back again, amazed that we'd been able to fit this many bikes into our parking lot! After what seemed like an eternity, I could see the end of the column rapidly approaching. Quickly hopping back onto the bike, I slid in behind the last bike as it passed by, happy to have the Sweep position,even if only for a short time. (We soon passed more blockers at other intersections, and they then slid at the rear.)
Billy had asked me to fly a special flag for him and I gladly agreed to. How could I not? It's a flag donated to his family (and other families) who've lost a family member. It was an honor and I hope that I get to fly it again next year.
The company that gave him the flag is called KIA Memorials; https://kiamemorials.com/
So there I was; toward the end of the pack. This is where you find out just how well the run is going. All runs will suffer from "accordian-ing", where you speed up, slow down, speed up, etc. But we really didn't do much of that - which was awesome! For the most part, we kept up a good solid pace, and that's commendable, considering how many bikes were in front of us!
I think this is the only time we had our feet down. Tara, on Bill's bike in front of me, managed to snap this pic. (The guy next to me is Art, or "Dawg", as he likes to be called. He's the one that put together the Battle Cross in the 3rd pic, above. We call him "Dawg" because he barks all the time. So he and I were rocking along the route, barking like a couple of dogs at each other.)
Jimbo got suited up and greeted us as we returned to the Post.
Here's a great shot of Nate and Bobby - Shayne's younger brother (who is also a Marine).
Folks managed to squeeze back into the parking lot without any major issues, or even more impressive; without too much delay. The kickstands were set, the back-slaps and high-fives were exchanged, and the food line grew long. Bellies were filled, throats were quenched, and a good time was had by all. (Even though I wound up not winning a single thing in the raffles. Damn! I've never been blanked before. Oh well.)
The after-party went long into the evening, with the intermittant fading of pipes signaling the departure of another bike or two. When things were just about done, a few of us saddled up and headed over to Rex's house for a bit of an after, after-party. As we were gathered around the fire and discussing the day, word came in from Mary; we'd set a new record: we'd cleared $13,000 this year. Simply amazing!! And we can't wait to try and top it next year.
Thank you to everyone who has given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms, as well as to the families of those who have died. Their sacrifice is ongoing, and we do the best we can to support and appreciate them.
And thank you, Shayne. Not only are you not forgotten, your memory lives on in the hearts and minds of more people each year.
http://www.shaynesrun.com/
Ride Hard, Take Chances, And Thank a Vet!
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