Relay Endurance Races and Dates
Share the Mileage, Share the Fun: Relay Races
If the marathon is considered the mother of all races, then the Hood to Coast Relay (HTC) is the mother of all relays. Covering 197 miles in north-western Oregon, over 12,000 participants run in the HTC, which starts atop Mt. Hood and ends at the coast in Seaside.
Gaining popularity, relay races are a way to race as a team — great for training with friends too. The long miles of these races are separated into legs of varying distances, from 3 to 8 miles, and difficulty depending on the course. Each team member generally runs three legs of the race, and the HTC relay has 36 legs. Usually two support vans are used to ferry runners to exchange locations and sleeping areas, in a leap frogging fashion. These races usually last more than 24 hours and through the exhaustion (you know, sleeping in a van) sound like a blast.
Here's information on a few relays:
- Hood to Coast Relay August 27 and 28, 2010 is held in Oregon and is a 197 miles race.
- The Relay in California from Calistoga to Santa Cruz May 1 and 2, with 12 member teams running 199 miles.
- Cedar Express 31 is a 31-mile relay in Cedar City, UT with 10 legs and five members per team held on August 28.
- Ragnar Great River Relay Winona to Minneapolis, MN August 20 to 21 is 193 miles, 12 member teams.
- Blue Ridge Relay September 17 and 18 races through Virginia and North Carolina with 12 person (four person minimum) teams that rotate through 36 transition areas covering 208 miles.
- Market to Market Relay in Nebraska on October 9 with 230 teams running 86 miles from Omaha's Old Market to Lincoln's Haymarket.
Consider for next year:
- American Odyssey Relay, April 23 to 24 from Gettysburg to Washington DC about 200 miles.
If you have ever run an endurance relay, share the details in the comments section below.
