So what's this relay race thing all about anyway?

A relay race, covering 170 miles, is truly a team effort. Each team consist of 2-12 runners (your choice, although most teams run with 12) who will travel the course in vehicles, while one member of their team is on the course running. Teams of 12 will use two vehicles carrying 6 runners each, 6 person teams only have one vehicle. You will take turns running, and handing off the baton (wristband) to the next runner at predefined exchange points. Before the race your team will decide who is running what legs, and all runners must run a leg before you can run again (no doubling up on legs, or running more than your teammates). So runner one will run legs 1, 12, 24. runner two would run legs 2, 13, and 25...and so on until all runners have 3 asigned legs. The beginning order of who runs what legs will be maintained throughout all 36 legs of the race. So the person who runs 1st will not run again until all members of their team have ran their legs of the race.

You will run a total of three legs (6 for teams of six people), with an average leg going about 5 miles. Most runners will have 7-8 hours rest between legs. Teams will begin in Jensen Beach Florida and end in Downtown Ft Myers, over 165 miles from where they started. It may seem daunting to run 170 miles, but when broken up into pieces you'll find it is manageable. Plus you'll have the support of your teammates with you the whole way!

 

Things to be familiar with:

If you've never run a relay like this before, the below may seem a little confusing. You will get the hang of it though, and even if your team has moments of confusion on the course, it's what gives us all something to talk and laugh about once you've made it to the end. And as always if you have questions about how this works, just let us know and we'll help you out.

Vehicles
Each 12 person team will have 2 vehicles. One will be the active vehicle, the other the resting vehicle. Each will carry 6 runners (runners 1-6 in vehicle one, and 7-12 in vehicle 2). Vehicle one will be the active vehicle (the one with runners currently on the course) for legs 1-6, 13-18, and 25-30. Vehicle two will be the active vehicle for legs 7-12,19-24, and 31-36. After each vehicles runners have completed their legs (i.e. vehicle one has completed leg 6) the wristband is handed off to the first runner in vehicle two in order to begin legs 7-12. After vehicle two's runners have all completed their legs they will hand off to the first runner in vehicle one and the process starts over again. Any time the baton is being passed from one vehicle to the other is called a Vehicle Exchange and they occur every 6th exchange.

6 person teams will only have one vehicle, which is always the active vehicle. They will exchange the wristband with each other, and when runner six completes their leg they will hand back off to runner one in their group. They will repeat this process until the 165+ mile course is completed.

Legs and Exchange Points:
A leg is the distance in which the route has been segmented.The Sunrise to Sunset Relay has 36 legs and each runner is responsible for completing three. Most legs are between 3-7 miles.

The Exchange Point in where one leg of the race ends and the next begins. The active runner finishes at an exchange point and passes the wristband to the runner competing in the next leg. These exchange points will sometimes have food and water available, or be close to areas where refreshments can be bought. Most exchange points will be supervised by course volunteers, however some exchange points may not be supervised and runners will be responsible for making their exchanges at the exchange point in accordance to the relay rules.


There will be a marked area in which both the runner who just finished the leg and the runner beginning the next leg exchange the wristband.

Vehicle Exchanges
Vehicle exchanges occur when one vehicle of runners pass the wristband to the runners in the second vehicle. At this point, the Active Vehicle becomes the Resting Vehicle and the Resting Vehicle becomes the Active Vehicle. These vehicle exchange points will occur every 6th exchange.

Vehicle Routes:
Vehicles will be given driving directions to the next exchange point. This may not be the most direct way to the next exchange, but a route that best helps alleviate congestion around the exchange zones.

General Info

Teams, depending on their pace, will be out on the course anywhere from 17 to 30 hours. Teams will start in "waves" of 5-10 teams every half hour. Most teams will start in the early to mid afternoon, and the fastest elite teams will start later in the evening. Staggering the start ensures we have a steady stream of runners finishing up in Ft Myers, with the majority finishing around 3-5:00 pm on Saturday.

We recommend vans as your team vehicles, as they can carry a lot of cargo, will fit 6 people, and allow enough space for runners to stretch out and rest while waiting for their leg.

If you will be renting a vehicle, be sure to check out our Car Rental Deals web page