Saturday - Sunday May 11 - 12, 2013
Results Now Posted - congratulations to all teams!
Celebrate spring by running across Iowa with a team of your friends. The Heartland Relay is a 202-mile distance team running relay race adventure in Iowa designed for runners of all abilities.
COURSE
The relay starts just outside of Des Moines n the small town of Winterset. Winterset is the birthplace of John Wayne and is located in Madison County.
Much of the route follows dirt backroads crisscrossing the farmland as teams run towards Clarinda (the birthplace of Glenn Miller) and then to Blanchard, a small town just two blocks north of Missouri and the start of the rails-to-trails Wabash Trace Nature Trail, one of Iowa's premier trails.
The Wabash Trace Trail winds through the scenic Iowa countryside for sixty-tree miles to the outskirts of Council Bluffs. The route will then take teams to Lake Manawa State Park, past the Western Historic Trails Center, and then to the Missouri River, where the last runner on the team will cross the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, finishing at Miller's Crossing and the big finish line party.
There are two main divisions of teams in the Heartland Relay: 12-person and Ultra teams. Both divisions have competitive and non-competitive options.
12-person teams (7 - 12 runners) have six competitive categories to choose from: Men's, Women's, Mixed, Open, or Master's categories. Each person on a competitive 12-member team runs three legs of the race in rotation, with legs averaging 5.6 miles in distance.
High School teams are also invited to participate and have a discounted registration fee.
Ultra teams (4 - 6 runners) have three options to choose from. Ultra teams can choose the 6 x 1 option where each runner is responsible for one leg of the race averaging 33.3 miles or the 6 x 6 option where each runner is responsible for 6 legs run in rotation just like the 12-person teams. The Super Ultra option is for ultra runners who want the challenge of running the route solo or on a team of up to three runners.
The Helter Skelter category is available for both 12-person and Ultra teams and is a non-competitive category. Whereas competitive teams must follow the standard relay rules of keeping the running order of their team intact, the Helter Skelter category is for teams that choose to have their runners run in any order they want. No awards are given to the top teams in the Helter Skelter category.
Teams start in waves from 5:00 AM to 12:00 PM - a team's starting time is dependent on a team's pace.
Are you an individual runner looking to join a team, or a team looking for runners? Check out our Team Matching Message Board.
VOLUNTEERS
In order for The Heartland Relay to be a success, each team will be responsible for choosing one of the two volunteer options- one of which benefits local community non-profit organizations.
In this way, we will secure the commitment of the more than 200 volunteers necessary to act as Race Marshals, staffing the Start and Finish areas, and the 35 exchange points along the course.
THE HEARTLAND RELAY IS A FORM OF ADVENTURE RACE
The Heartland Relay is an adventure race in that teams are running continuously through the night to reach the finish. Many find this to be the highlight of their experience - their run in the middle of the night under the stars or full moon. But as it is an adventure race with a 202-mile route, teams must be aware of and accept certain responsibilities:
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You should find answers to most of your questions on this web site. If not, feel free to contact us.
