220 miles
36 legs
12 team members
6 states
20-30 hours
Sounds crazy doesn't it?
And that's exactly why I'm doing it. I had heard about the Hood to Coast Relay out in Oregon, a 197-mile relay race that has grown to quite the popular race. I mentally added that to my bucket list, but figured "when would I really travel out to the west coast just for a race?" Then Jenn, the friend from Boston who came down to run the Hartford Half Marathon with me last October, texted me asking if I had heard of the New England Relay, NERelay. Why go 197 miles when you can go 220? Why run in one state when you can run through six? Why be normal when you can be insane?! I'm in!
Are you normal? NO, and I don't ever plan on being it.
The race is July 11th and 12th (Saturday & Sunday). It begins in Rhode Island and winds into Connecticut, straight up through Massachusetts, into Vermont, across New Hampshire, and ends in Maine. The whole race is broken into 36 legs ranging from 3.3 to 11.6 miles. These are split between 6 or 12 team members depending on where the team falls on the Insanity Scale. I will be on a team of 12 and will run somewhere between 13 and 26.2 miles in total. We are informed that we need to maintain an average pace of 9 minute miles, which would put the finish at a max of 33 hours. (hahaha! The more I sit down and really work out the numbers and description of this race, the more I realize how crazy it is. I love it!!).
If you're man (or woman) enough to give it a shot and know people who are just as insane and fun who would join your team, I fully support it! But for those who think this is a bit nuts and will make bets as to when I'll pass out (aka: die) on the course, you're the people that make this worth it.
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