3rd Annual Colonel Ripley Memorial Race (Team Semper Fi Event)

Annapolis, MD — Come out and join Team Semper Fi for the 3rd Annual Colonel Ripley Memorial Fuel 4 Life 5K!

Attention car enthusiasts! Thanks to a generous donation, the Ripley Race will be auctioning a 1970 Dodge SuperBee! The SuperBee has plenty of modifications and an investment by the owner of more than $45,000. The reserve limit has been set for $25,000, and 100% of the proceeds go to the Ripley Race!

Please see the Dodge SuperBee EBAY listing for more details and to bid on the car!

You get a classic muscle car that has been restored, and 100% of your purchase goes to support wounded veterans. The car will be on display in the parking lot at Fleet Feet Sports Annapolis from 10:00-4:00pm during Saturday packet pick up and also at the race and post-party held at Fado’s.

About the Ripley Race: Established in 2009, the Ripley Race is a 5K road race to raise awareness and support for our men and women returning home from war. In just three years, they have raised more than $20,000 for returning veterans.

The Ripley Race celebrates the legacy of valor and leadership of Colonel John W. Ripley Unites States Marine Corps (USMC). In a career that spanned more than 35 years, Colonel Ripley earned six valorous and 14 personal decorations in two tours of combat, including the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart. During the 1972 North Vietnamese Easter Offensive, the then-Captain Ripley was responsible for destroying the Dong Ha Bridge. In a desperate and heroic action that would make him a legend in the Corps, Captain Ripley placed and detonated more than 600 pounds of explosives, stopping an enemy assault of more than 20,000 men.

For his courage and heroism at the Dong Ha Bridge, Captain Ripley was awarded the Navy Cross, the nation’s second highest award for valor. The destruction of the Dong Ha Bridge has been memorialized in a diorama at the U.S. Naval Academy entitled, “Ripley at the Bridge.”

Colonel Ripley’s leadership continued off the battlefield, serving in leadership roles at universities, as a historian, a speaker and as an expert testifying before Congress on military matters.

The Ripley Race commemorates a lifetime achievement in the service of his country and dedication to the nation he loved.

The race will start again at our nation’s historic landmark, the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.