Team running relays on the rise
Blue Ridge Relay
September 17-18 • Mouth of Wilson, Va.
In 24 hours, teams of 4 to 12 cover 208 miles from Virginia’s Grayson Highlands State Park down through the North Carolina High Country to Asheville, with 16 transition legs and 27,000 feet of elevation change.
blueridgerelay.com
Bourbon Chase
October 22-23 • Clermont, Ky.
Drinking brown water during a 200-mile race doesn’t sound smart, but the Bourbon Chase saves the whiskey chugging for the post party. The race debuted last year to much hype—evident as this year is already sold out. The lengthy course traverses the back roads of bluegrass country on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. It starts at the Jim Beam distillery and continues through rural paradise—stopping at five additional distilleries including Maker’s Mark and Woodford Reserve.
bourbonchase.com
Rouge Orleans Ultramarathon and Team Relay
March 4-6, 2011 • Baton Rouge, La.
This brand new relay will move 124 miles along the levee of the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge to New Orleans. Runners will cruise swampy backwater Louisiana past old plantations and sugar fields before finishing in the Big Easy at the start of Mardi Gras. Bring your legs and your liver.
rougeorleans.com
Southern Blue Relay
April 15-16, 2011 • Dawsonville,Ga.
Organizers of the Blue Ridge Relay created this sister race in the North Georgia Mountains. It starts at the top of Amicalola Falls and winds for 200 miles toward the finish line in Helen. In between, runners slog through 21,782 feet of elevation change over the top of Georgia’s highest peak—4,784-foot Brasstown Bald.
southernbluerelay.com
Smoky Mountain Relay
May 2011 • Mills River, N.C.
Coming off its inaugural year, this epic race is sure to become a staple among mountain runners. The rugged relay is 205 miles of singletrack and remote country roads connecting North Mills River and Bryson City. The course pushes west through Pisgah, offering sweet views on the Parkway and struggles on the Pink Beds Trail with multiple stream crossings and riverside rambles eventually along the Nantahala.
smokymountainrelay.com
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