Relays - The Most Fun You Can Have Running

Relay runs are the most fun you can have running with friends.  The shared effort bonds runners together in a unique and lasting way.  Relays come in all sizes and vary widely in competitiveness.  You can hold your breath longer than it takes a top team to run the 4 by 100… if they don’t drop the baton.  At the other extreme, a relay across the country takes many days to complete.  In between these extremes, every distance runner should be able to find a relay that suits your available time, budget and fitness. 24-Hour Relays.  Back in the 70’s when it was still a serious running magazine, Runner’s World popularized the 24-hour relay and kept records of the top marks for each state.  The format for the event was a ten-man team with each runner doing four fast laps and handing off the baton to the next runner.  After running your mile (tracks were 440 yards back then), you could rest until your turn in the rotation came around again about 45-50 minutes later.  As I recall, the “world record” of over 300 miles in 24 hours was set at an Olympic training camp in 1972. I was living in Auburn, AL in the spring of 1977 and had the good fortune to be part of a ten-man team put together to break the state record.  Memories of the event are still vivid, even 32 years later.  Starting at 8am, our team ran like a well-oiled machine for the first 18-20 hours, running well ahead of the old record.  Then, things got interesting as we got close to dawn… runners fell sound asleep and took several wake-up calls to get to the line to take the baton.  One of our fastest runners seemed to be half-asleep when he ran a 7:30 mile, the slowest for the whole team.  Once the sun came up, we all got a second-wind and finished strongly with over 258 miles and a new state record. Over the decades, 24-hour relays have morphed into 24- hour (or 12-hour) charity fund raisers (e.g., for the American Cancer Society, Easter Seals, etc.).  The competitive focus has shifted completely to which team raises the most money and not which team runs the most miles.  Too bad, it would be fun to run another 24-hour relay before hanging up my trainers. Adventure Relays.  Other relays take place on the roads.  The ultimate challenge is a relay run across the country.  Back in November 2004, 18 RIT students and recent grads ran 2,730 miles from the Pacific to the Atlantic.  Each runner ran 2 miles and handled off the baton to the next runner.  The team had two motor homes and ran non-stop for 12 days, 3 hours and 48 minutes (6:25 per mile average!).  Other Rochester relay teams have completed Coast-to-Coast runs… my apologies to them for not including their stories. A more achievable relay challenge is running 200 miles in a weekend.  The Nike Hood to Coast Relay (www.hoodtocoast.com) in Oregon is capped at 1000 teams and has sold out on opening day for the last 11 years.  Teams start at Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood and run 197 miles to the Pacific Ocean at Seaside.  At the pointy end of the field, this is one fast race… the winning team averaged 5:10 per mile! Almost as well known and a lot closer to us, the Reach the Beach Relay (www.rtbrelay.com) in New Hampshire regularly has several teams from the Rochester area.  The race starts at Cannon Mountain in Franconia and finishes in Hampton Beach 200 miles later.  Teams can have up to 12 persons with each person running 3 legs of varying lengths and difficulties.  Last year, the winning team averaged 6:10 per mile.  The event is capped at 400 teams and sells out every year despite the $1080 entry fee. For those with less time and money to devote to a relay experience, locally there’s the Fleet Feet Sports Relay (www.canlake50.org/Relay) around Canandaigua Lake on October 10th.   The event is designed to be a smaller version of the big relays… teams are limited to a maximum of five runners so only one vehicle is needed.  Each team member runs 2 legs of varying lengths and difficulties on the roads around Canandaigua Lake.  The best thing about the format is that team members spend the whole day together… driving around the course, taking photos, cheering on the runners, hanging out with other teams while waiting for their runner at the exchanges and sharing good food and stories at the post-race feast. The 8:30am start and shorter 50-mile distance makes it possible for runners from all over Western New York to do the race without having to book a hotel room.  The fee is only $12 per team member (the race shirt is optional).  And, if you can’t find five runners for your team, that shouldn’t be a problem.  Since 2004, the relay has been won once by a two-runner team and twice by a three-runner team. The Tussey MountainBack 50-Mile Relay in Pennsylvania also has a similar format:  up to 8 runners per team and 12 legs of varying length and difficulty on mostly dirt roads in Rothrock State Forest near State College.  The event is capped at 75 teams.  The entry fee varies with team size, from $120 for two runners up to $360 for eight runners.  For more info: www.tusseymountainback.com Marathon Relays.   Two fall marathons in our area have relay divisions.  The Rochester Marathon Relay (www.rochestermarathon.com) has four-person teams.  The legs vary from 6.0 miles to 7.5 miles.  Due to traffic and parking issues, shuttle buses are provided to drop off and pick up runners at the exchange points.  Team entry fees are $120 before August 1st and $160 before September 5th.  The GRTC sponsors teams in the Rochester Marathon Relay …  see blurb in the July newsletter and on the Club website for additional information. The Wineglass Marathon (www.wineglassmarathon.com) in Corning has a 3-person team relay.  The distances covered by each runner are approximately 8-9 miles.  The entry fee is $75 per team by September 15th and $105 per team by September 30th.  Buses to the relay exchange points and to the finish are provided.