Cinch I.T. – one of the fastest growing I.T. service providers in the nation – hosted its 3rd annual 100-Mile Ruck March Challenge in July to help benefit families dealing with childhood cancer. Former U.S. Army Ranger, President of Cinch I.T., and Princeton Massachusetts resident, Rick Porter was at the helm of the operation. The event took place from July 20th to July 23rd in neighboring Worcester and collected donations during its nightly events from participating athletes and volunteers. 100% of the money that was raised has been donated to Why Me & Sherry’s House, an organization dedicated to providing love and support services to families with childhood cancer. Why Me & Sherry’s House is the vision of thirteen-year-old Sherry Shepherd and the promise kept by those who loved her to keep her dream alive. This year’s event has raised over $180,000 in donations beating last year’s achieving $140,000. The donation link will be open until the red-carpet premier of the documentary film, which is slated to release in the fall of 2023.
The 100-Mile Ruck March Challenge is a military-inspired event, where a small group of 46 athletes rucked (hiked with a weighted rucksack) 25 miles a day for four days. Each competitor camped out on the farm of a local brewery and continued the march each morning at sunrise. Athletes carried everything they needed for the four-day event on their backs as they navigated the 100-mile course, cooked their own meals, set up and broke down their own camps each night, and tended to their feet and bodies, all in an attempt to earn the coveted 100-Mile Ruck March Finisher Medal. At the end of each day, individuals would come out and support the ruck athletes by joining the competitors at a different brewery to toast their accomplishments and encourage them to ruck on. The three participating breweries; Milk Room Brewery, Stone Cow Brewery, and Oakholm Brewing, all helped by offering their hospitality and providing an area for the competitors to camp, making the entire event possible.
New to the event this year was a Kid Ruck Event that was held for boys and girls, ages 6-17, who were tested on their endurance by completing as many one-mile loops on the Seven Saws Brewery trails as they could during the allotted time. The Kid Ruck Event invited and expanded an entirely new audience of participants to try and compete amongst themselves all for the cause of supporting other children battling cancer.
“This charity holds a special place in my heart,” said Porter. “When you speak with the selfless individuals who have created and run Why Me & Sherry’s House on a daily basis, you can’t help but be in amazement at what they’ve built. When I hear the words spoken by the families whose lives have been touched by this remarkable organization, I realize that the struggles and difficulties we will face during this ruck march aren’t even a fraction of the battles these families go through every single day. Their strength and courage and love for their children is awe-inspiring, and I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to support them in some small way.”
One of this year’s participants of the 100-Mile Ruck March Challenge, Patrick Flynn had this to say about his experience and the impact the event has had on his life: “There are a couple of reasons why I’m doing this Ruck March, the first one is for me. I’ve struggled with my weight, and I want to do this for my own personal health and to set a challenge to keep me accountable. But there are more reasons than that. If anyone has ever been touched by cancer, then you know what it does to your family, especially when it happens to children. My father had cancer and while he was waiting for his treatment, he would see little kids come in, and he would tell me about the perspective it gave him. He had 58 years of life watching these kids who were being robbed of their childhood. That always resonated with me. So, if there is some way, I can make someone’s life better during this Ruck then it will be worth it, I feel I’d be selfish not to do it.”
Despite the challenges and exhaustion faced by competitors along the way, the event was a great success. Through thick and thin, the athletes who participated in the 100-Mile Ruck March are extremely grateful for the opportunity to participate, knowing that their efforts will benefit those families enduring a much more difficult challenge associated with pediatric cancer. Porter is grateful for this year’s participants and is excited to continue the tradition next year. For more information on the 100-Mile Ruck March Challenge and to donate, visit https://100mileruckmarch.com/.
Founded in 2004 and franchising since 2019, Cinch I.T. is a managed computer and I.T. support brand that provides businesses with an enterprise-level I.T. department for less than it would cost a business to manage their I.T. in-house. Today, there are 13 locations across seven states, and the brand is continuing to grow every year. The brand provides remote and on-site computer support, and services include I.T. support plans, network security, backup/disaster recovery, cloud computing, cybersecurity software, tech consulting, and more. For more information, visit https://cinchit.com/.