Blog written by: Dan Brostek

It’s hard to capture through words alone the experience of the 2015 relay so we decided to partner with We Are The Mighty to create a video that would allow us to document the power and emotion behind this epic journey.

Here are some statistics to keep in mind as you watch this video. These aren’t just numbers. Instead, they represent the personal stories, connections, widespread support and community engagement that came to define the essence and impact of the 2015 Old Glory Relay.

• Total Funds Raised: $436,000.
• New Team RWB Members: 10,118 (19% YoY increase).
• Participation: 59 teams and 1,170 athletes.
• Events: 13 community celebrations with over 800 participants.
• Route: 3,540 miles, 13 States, 4 State Capitals and over 7M steps taken.
• Weather: Temperatures north of 110 degrees and well below freezing.
• Elevation: From sea level to 11,312 feet (Monarch Pass, Colorado).
• Content: Captured over 4,200 user generated photos and videos with countless personal testimonials.
• Media: Generated a potential reach of over 950M impressions across traditional and digital media channels.
• Website: Increased YoY website traffic during the Old Glory Relay by 65% and total pageviews by 94%.
• Influencers: Engaged numerous individuals and organizations in the Veteran space, news outlets, athletes, politicians, community leaders and brands.
• News: The top 30 media stories generated over 7,700 social shares with close to 10M in web traffic including an appearance on Happening Now on Fox News with national viewership over 1.1M.
• Microsoft Incentives: Delivered over $20k in Microsoft product to top individual and team fundraisers.
• Hashtag Engagement: The #oldgloryrelay hashtag was used over 3,500 times via Twitter and Instagram with over 6M impressions generated in the last 30 days of the campaign alone.
• The Photo: A single photo shared by Fox News of a police officer saluting Old Glory (held by Tim Muessig from Microsoft) reached over 19M people with 1M+ likes, 650k shares & 17k comments…in the first week.
• Freedom Honks: Too many to count.

 

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-cfyQWXQ44[/embedyt]

 

This event could not have taken place without the Eagle Fire of our participants and fundraisers, the dedication of our Team RWB staff on the course, the engagement of numerous volunteers across the country…and the unwavering support of our sponsors. A heartfelt thanks to our presenting sponsor, Microsoft. A special thanks as well to the Schultz Family Foundation, NoGii, Zignal Labs, RDB Running and the Bob Woodruff Foundation for making this experience a memory to last a lifetime.

Planning for the 2016 Old Glory Relay is underway so stay tuned for more details.