COLORADO SPRINGS — For 2023, the riders in the SHIELD616 Border-to-Border Ride crossed 331.8 miles in their journey while enduring a total of 9,737 feet in elevation changes along the route from New Mexico to Wyoming.
The ride across the state of Colorado is a fundraiser to support local first responders by providing much-needed protective gear.
A complete set of gear for an officer costs $2,400. The Colorado Springs-based charity has raised more than $17 million for nearly 7,000 first responders across 359 agencies.
News5 Photojournalist Carl Winder was along for the ride this year. Watch the stories behind the ride and what motivates everyone involved to keep the miles rolling along.
Donate on the SHIELD616 website to help law enforcement, firefighters, EMS, and SHIELD616 programs.
The organization was founded by former Colorado Springs police officer Jake Skifstad, who knows the most difficult challenges of being a first responder.
After having experienced some close calls during local active shooter incidents, Skifstand realized that Southern Colorado law enforcement needed better protective gear, especially when it comes to rifle-rated armor. SHIELD616 may have been formed out of local tragedies but has now become a nationwide effort to protect those in the line of duty.
Armor packages include Angel Armor's RISE 2.0 level IIIa body armor, level III rifle-rated Truth SNAP plates, and Galvion’s level IIIa Viper helmet with a harness system.
The Border-to-Border fundraiser ride began when Chaplain with the Colorado Springs Police Department, Cary Katalin approached Skifstad with the idea.
Katalin had been volunteering with the department a few times a month and had turned to ride his bicycle as an escape most days.
“The one thing that would clear my mind was to be able to get out on my bike and ride," Katalin told News5 in a prior ride. "I thought if we can get other officers out there doing that- how awesome would that be? And then to have the purpose of the SHIELD616 was perfect.”
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SHIELD616 Border to Border Ride 2021: Protecting our First Responders
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SHIELD616 stories: The day that forever changed Dan and Christine Brite's lives
SHIELD616 was born out of some of the worst tragedies in southern Colorado
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