New Tent to Trail Relay Lands in RVA
by Jon Lugbill
Sports Backers is constantly looking for new trends in the endurance sports industry. Relay events have become wildly popular throughout the country. Team members take turns running, and with combined mileage, cover great distances over the course of each event.
Our relay format will have each team member run each of the three loops throughout the event. One runner from each team will be on the trails at a time.
We just announced our version of this phenomenon, the Tent to Trail Relay that will take place April 17-18 at Pocahontas State Park in Chesterfield County. Teams will be comprised of eight runners, and each team member will run a leg on each of the three marked trail loops, resulting in a combined 17 miles per runner and 136 miles per team. Teams will complete the relay between 18 and 30 hours after the start on Friday the 17th. Of course, if folks would like more of a challenge, they may enter as a 4-person team, with each member running 34 miles over the course of the event.
While many relays require runners to use a van as their home base, trail relay teams get to use a campsite instead. Runners get to enjoy socializing with the other teams even if they are different speeds, and, everyone spends more time hanging out and bonding rather than driving and dealing with relay related traffic. Plus sleeping in a tent sounds luxurious compared to the floor of a stinky van.
We sent two members of our staff out to Phoenix to experience a trail relay and determine if this would work here in RVA. Jeff Fitch, Sports Backers’ development director, had this to say about the experience: “Nearly all of the 2,500 participants seemed to be a lot more focused on what was cooking on the grill at their campsite than their upcoming run.” Megan Schultz added, “There were people with all kinds of fitness levels, and at the end of the day no matter if your emphasis was on the running or the camping, everyone was just there to have a good time.”
Megan went on to explain that the atmosphere surrounding the event supported this feeling. “The environment in the village and campsite was really fun and social. There was something really neat about the atmosphere because it happened so organically and had a very genuine feel. It was almost like an adult sleepover and instead of building forts out of blankets, you were setting up these really great and, in some cases, elaborate campsites for people to hang out, share stories, play corn hole and just enjoy being outside together. And one of the neatest parts was you were not just interacting in your own campsite footprint, you were sharing a meal or chatting with everyone around you.”
Jeff was equally enthusiastic about the laid-back, social atmosphere. “Our campsite hosted nearly 3,000 runners so it was quite the party,” he said. “Between runs, there was ample time to socialize with other teams, hang out around the bonfire or listen to the bands. The team adjacent to us cooked up a full breakfast on the grill on Saturday morning….eggs, bacon & sausage. I “borrowed” a few pieces of bacon but had to skip the mimosa as I still had to run 8 miles through the desert!”
Based on their experiences, Megan and Jeff came back incredibly psyched to move forward with our first trail relay. The social atmosphere, emphasis on community and just simply having a good time seems to be a perfect match for Richmond. And, it’s an added bonus that we just happen to have an incredible setting like Pocahontas State Park right in our backyard. Our staff is so enthusiastic that we have even decided to have our own Sports Backers team that can also serve as our eyes and ears on the course throughout the event.