Posted: June 12, 2006

Athletics: XanGo Wasatch Back Relay on Track for Record Growth

SOUTH JORDAN, Utah - (June 6, 2006) - The XanGo Wasatch Back Relay has built quite a reputation in just three short years as the long-distance relay event has grown to nearly ten times its original size with plans to be bigger and better.

An intense 175-mile relay race from Logan to Park City, Utah, the XanGo Wasatch Back Relay began with only 22 teams and 260 participants in 2004. Last year, it drew 92 teams. And this year on June 23-24, over 180 teams are expected to compete. That's 2,200 runners - almost double the number from last year, making the race potentially the fourth largest off-road relay in the nation.

Why the impressive growth? "I think word is getting out about the '24-hour running party,'" says race director Dan Hill. "Our participants are telling their friends about the vans they decorated and the costumes they made and how they partied all night long. What that comes down to is teamwork, and for many, the very idea is irresistible."

Stretching the length of nearly six and a half marathons, the XanGo Wasatch Back Relay traverses the backside of Utah's Wastach Range, passing seven pristine lakes and several scenic mountain towns. Though the race is physically demanding, it allows for a wide range of participants, from serious athletes to casual recreational runners to walkers who enjoy the company of friends and the beauty of the Wasatch.

Of course, it's a lot of ground to cover. Teams of 12 runners each race day and night, competing for 24 straight hours. Each team member runs three legs that vary in length from three to six miles per leg. Prizes are awarded to those who take on the most challenging segments, including the grueling "Ragnar" mountain passage between Midway and Park City. Last year, the runner with the fastest time won a North Face Hydration Pack.

"It makes you feel like a kid again," says Vicky Anderl, a mid-aged mother of five from Sandy, Utah. She says running with her mixed, sub-masters team - the Patheadaches (pronounced "Pathetics") - is like reverting back to high school. "It's just really fun getting to know people and seeing what you can do together," she says. "We'll have a team as long as we can."

Former Novell software engineer Verdon Walker has run the race two times with the corporate team "2 Slow 2 Win 2 Dumb 2 Quit." Riding in vans with giant inflatable turtles on top, Walker and several other Novell teams are out to prove a point: "We've got runners from all ages and abilities, but this just brings everyone together," he says. "It doesn't matter what your abilities are. It's just a great team-building experience."

The XanGo Wasatch Back Relay gains much of its success from the supportive communities through which it passes. A few organizations in towns like Heber, Huntsville and Paradise will provide sleeping arrangements, showers and food at key exchange points for a small fee - a fundraising opportunity for local schools and nonprofits. Live bands will dot the course, as well as other games and prizes to ensure that participants, drivers, volunteers and spectators alike all enjoy the race.

Of course, the race would not be nearly as successful without the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and the race's charity partner, Operation Kids, which is raising $50,000 thru onsite and online donations for children's charities - and the hundreds of volunteers that make the race possible. Says Deborah Hanks, marketing director of Operation Kids: "As long as the XanGo Wasatch Back Relay keeps rolling forward, we'll be right there alongside them."

The starting gun will fire at Hardware Ranch outside Logan, Utah, on June 23. More information about the XanGo Wasatch Back Relay is available on its website, WasatchBackRelay.com.

Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Director
(805) 696-6232; Fax = (805) 659-0016
Ryan@RunningUSA.org
www.RunningUSA.org.

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