by Larry Eder
Photos courtesy of Ragnar Relays
Ragnar Relay Series Launches Four New Races for 2011
Nation’s Top Provider of Overnight Relay Races to Host 15 Events in Nationwide Series
KAYSVILLE, UT November 29, 2010 – The Ragnar
Relay Series presented by NordicTrack is expanding again this year to
fifteen races in 2011, adding four more races to the schedule from last
year. New races for 2011 include Florida Keys, Chicago, Napa Valley and
Pennsylvania.
Ragnar
Relay is the nation’s top provider of overnight relay races, which is
currently the fastest growing running category. The company not only
hosts the most races across the country, but also produced the largest
overnight relay in 2010 with a tremendous turn-out at Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back.
In 2010, more than 43,000 audacious runners experienced Ragnar
Relays in Florida, Arizona, Southern California, New York, New England,
Utah, Washington, Minnesota, DC, Nevada, and Tennessee. With the
announcement of races in Napa, Chicago, Florida Keys and Pennsylvania, Ragnar
Relay Series is expected to continue its exponential growth. The
series has projected more than 70,000 runners will participate in a Ragnar Relay race in 2011.
“We had a great year in 2010 and are thrilled to have added four more races to the Ragnar Relay family,” said Dan Hill, Co-Founder of the Ragnar
Relay Series. “The exciting ‘team’ concept is contagious and runners of
all abilities are jumping at the chance to challenge themselves in a
new and fun way.”
Ragnar Relay Florida Keys
kicks off January 7-8, 2011, providing a tropical running excursion
beginning in Miami. The course takes runners south towards the Keys,
hopping from Key to Key while taking in the ocean breeze, and passing
through popular destinations such as Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon
Key and finishing at the southernmost point in Key West.
Ragnar Relay Chicago, formerly
the Madison-Chicago 200 (MC200) race, starts in Madison, Wisconsin, and
takes runners through the cities of Waukesha and Milwaukee, finishing
in Chicago the weekend of June 10-11, 2011.
Ragnar Relay Napa Valley begins in San Francisco on September 16th and will finish in Calistoga on September 17th.
Runners will take in the views of San Francisco Bay while crossing the
Golden Gate Bridge and race inland to experience the rolling hills and
country roads to Napa, where runners will be surrounded by endless
vineyards on the way to the finish line in Calistoga.
Ragnar Relay Pennsylvania, the 15th race in the national series, will kick off in Lancaster on October 7th and finish at the Pocono Mountain resort area on October 8, 2011.
Along the course runners will pass through Pennsylvania Dutch country
and farm communities while experiencing the beautiful fall colors of
Eastern Pennsylvania.
Runners who compete in Ragnar
events are drawn to the sense of “team” experience which is typically
missing from traditional marathon and other race formats. Each relay
challenges teams of up to 12 runners on courses between 180 and 200
miles across some of the country’s most breathtaking and scenic terrain.
Runners conquer the miles in their costumes, decorated vans, and
stamina with teammates, while turning heads and sparking curiosity
across the country.
The Ragnar Relay Series was founded by childhood friends Hill and Tanner Bell. Hill and Bell together launched the first Ragnar
Relay in Utah called the “Wasatch Back,” a wild 188-mile relay race
from Logan to Park City, in 2004. Today, with more than 13,000 runners,
Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back has grown to be the largest running event in the state of Utah and the largest overnight running relay in the world.
“Tanner and I are thrilled every year as more and more people participate in Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back,”
said Hill. “This race is what started the desire for us to bring this
running experience to more people across the country. As we see the
level of excitement around Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back, we are anxious and excited to see more people participating in the other Ragnar Relay races across the country.”
Each leg of a Ragnar
race varies in difficulty so elite and novice runners can run together
in teams. Each team is responsible for providing two support vehicles,
with six runners in each vehicle. The first vehicle drops off the first
runner and drives ahead to the first exchange point. Teams repeat this
pattern for six legs until they hand off to their second vehicle. This
leapfrogging pattern continues day and night all the way to the much
anticipated finish line.
“We want every person who runs a Ragnar
Relay to push themselves, have a blast, make memories, and most
importantly, bring out the Norse King in all of them,” said Bell.
“Accomplishing a trek of nearly 200 miles is an exhilarating feeling,
and it is even more memorable when friends, families, coworkers, or
groups with a common cause accomplish it together.”
The Ragnar
Relay Series takes its name from a marauding 9th Century Norse King who
fearlessly explored and conquered new lands. Runners competing in Ragnar events share the same free-spirited sense of adventure.
Each Ragnar
Relay donates a portion of the proceeds to a local charity. Those
interested in participating can register on the company’s website.
About Ragnar Events, LLC
Ragnar
Events, LLC was co-founded in 2004 by Dan Hill and Tanner Bell. The
idea to run an overnight 24+-hour relay across the mountains of Utah was
a lifelong dream of Dan Hill’s father. The dream became reality when
Dan Hill and his childhood friend Tanner Bell organized the first
Wasatch Back Relay, spanning 188 miles from Logan to Park City, UT in
2004. Since 2004 the Ragnar Relay Series has grown from a single relay in Utah to the largest overnight relay series in the nation. The Ragnar Relay Series now has 15 races scheduled for 2011 and is growing every year. Ragnar Events, LLC is based in Salt Lake City, UT and managed by co-founders Dan Hill and Tanner Bell.
Visit www.ragnarrelay.com for race dates and exact locations.
All photos courtesy of Ragnar Relays.
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