Race to be the 13th addition in the Ragnar Relay Series, the country's overnight-relay leader
KAYSVILLE, Utah - Ragnar Relay Series presented by NordicTrack, the nation's top provider of overnight-relay races, has announced its latest addition to the series: Ragnar Relay Chicago. The former Madison-Chicago 200 (MC200) race will be operated and supported fully by Ragnar and will be the 13th race in the national series.
Ragnar Relay Series provided marketing support for the 200 mile overnight-relay, which was run in early June 2010. Beginning in 2011, Ragnar Relay Series will provide complete support for the race including logistics, route creation, race day operations and quality control.
"We are excited to have joined the Ragnar Relay Series," said Joe Pulizzano, Founder of the MC200. "This year with Ragnar Relay Series' involvement our participant numbers doubled. We are looking forward to having the Series' support to grow and improve this race."
The MC200 has been run since 2005. The 200 mile course is the same overnight relay race format as Ragnar Relays Series, challenging teams of up to 12 runners on a course through some of the country's most scenic paths. Ragnar Relay Chicago will start in Madison, Wisconsin, and take runners through the cities of Waukesha and Milwaukee, finish in Chicago.
"We are excited to bring the MC200 into the Ragnar family, as it is an established race that has done a superb job," said Dan Hill, co-founder of the Ragnar Relay Series. "By bringing this race into our series, we are able to improve the safety procedures and provide additional benefits for all participants."
Ragnar Relay races challenge teams of up to 12 runners on courses of between 180 and 200 miles. Each leg of the relay varies in difficulty, so elite and novice runners can run together. Teams are 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.
The popularity of overnight relay races has grown exponentially as endurance enthusiasts have embraced the exciting team component that is non-existent in other running events. The Ragnar Relay Series is experiencing dramatic growth as team registrations numbers are sky-rocketing and selling out races months in advance. Founded in 2004, Ragnar races have grown from 200 participants to more than 20,000 in 2009, with 40,000 projected for 2010.
Visit RagnarRelay.com for race dates and exact locations for the Ragnar Relay Series.
Know someone else who's interested in running and triathlon?
