Welcome to the Equinox Marathon Relay! Here are the essentials as you prepare to run the relay with your team. We’ll have more information soon about bus transportation and other matters.
Relay legs: how many?
There are three relay legs: 1) Leg 1 from UAF to roughly Goldstream Sports, exchange point 1 (8.2 miles); 2) Leg 2 from Goldstream Sports to the “Out and Back” turnaround and thence to the top of Ester Dome, exchange point 2 (8.7 miles); and Leg 3 from the top of Ester Dome back to UAF (9.3 miles).
Leg 1 is the most technical with lots of roots and rocks but little elevation gain/loss; Leg 2 takes you up Ester Dome (plus the notorious up-and-down hills of the Out-and-Back) and has the majority of the elevation gain; and Leg 3 takes you down the infamous Chute and then down, back to UAF. Take your pick!
Relay Teams: how many members?
Teams normally have three individuals, each running one leg. However, one member can run two legs, meaning that team has two members.
Starting Logistics
Leg 1: starts at UAF when the full marathon does (8:00 a.m.).
Leg 2: starts from Goldstream Sports when the Leg 1 runner arrives.
Leg 3: starts from the top of Ester Dome when the Leg 2 runner arrives and heads back to UAF.
Relay Leg Logistics
There WILL be transportation for relay runners from UAF to Goldstream Sports, where leg 1 runners tag leg 2.
Two coach buses and a van will leave outside the Patty Center and transport to Goldstream Sports from 8:00-8:30 a.m. Note that the earliest runner arrivals at Goldstream are expected around 8:47 a.m., (so be prepared to potentially wait a while). Taking the shuttle does help ease parking congestion in the Goldstream Sports/Ann’s Greenhouses/Sheep Creek Road area.
Legs Two and Three runners can take the shuttle or transport themselves to Goldstream Sports. Leg Three runners will ride shuttle buses to the top of Ester Dome, where the second exchange point is located, starting at 9:10 a.m. (The ride takes about 15 minutes). These buses will rotate continuously until all Leg 3 relay runners have been transported to the Exchange #2.
Private vehicles are NOT permitted to pass above Henderson Road on race day. If you are Leg Three and don’t ride the bus, count on a walk of at least 80 minutes (4+ miles up a steep road) from Goldstream Sports to the top of Ester Dome and Exchange Point Two.
Note that the earliest runners to past the Exchange Point are expected at 9:30 a.m. (on the way to the Out-and-Back turnaround), and the earliest runners to reach the actual Exchange Point will be around 10 a.m. Slower relay teams may not reach the Exchange Zone until 12 p.m. or later. So if you take one of the earlier shuttles and have a slower team, expect a significant wait!
One bus will stage at the Exchange Zone area with a view of the approaching relay runners and can be used as a warming station.
There is no drop bag station on Ester Dome or elsewhere, so Leg 3 runners are recommended to bring extra clothes while they wait on Ester Dome and then hand whatever they don’t need for running to their finishing Leg 2 runner.
Shuttles from the top of Ester Dome back to Goldstream Sports or UAF will transport all Leg Two participants, with the last bus leaving the top no later than seven hours after the race start (3:00 p.m.). The buses will not be available for non-Leg Two runners (Leg 1 runners, friends, marathoners/hikers who choose to not complete the course, etc.).
The only exception for non-runner transport up and down Ester Dome is that a parent/guardian of junior relay runners (age 17 & under) MUST accompany their runner to the Exchange Zone. If that team’s Leg 3 runner is also a junior, that same parent/guardian should accompany that runner back on the shuttle.
Leg One runners should try to arrange their own transportation back to UAF. However, shuttles back to UAF will pick up Leg One relay runners at Goldstream Sports on the way back to UAF if they have space.
Conditions Atop Ester Dome
There will be no warming tent or shelter atop Ester Dome at Exchange Point Two; however, runners can use the one idling bus as a warming station (space permitting).
There will be lots of camaraderie and sense of humor on the Dome! Weather conditions on Ester Dome on race day can include heat, cold, rain, snow, and wind. It is imperative that you bring adequate gear appropriate for the waiting time for beginning the race or bus transportation (this could be hours for slower teams).
Leg Two runners who want to have a bag of dry/warm clothing and or fluids/food atop Ester Dome should ask their Leg Three partner to transport the bag to the top. Leg Two runners could transport third-leg runners’ warm-ups/personal items back to the start. The Equinox Marathon organization will not transport gear for relay runners.
Drop Bags
There will be no drop bag service at the start or elsewhere for relay or marathon runners.
Team Registration
The first person on the team to register for the relay will choose to create the team, select a team name, and then pay the entire fee for the team. After that, additional team members will go through the same registration process where they will choose to join a team by entering the team name. After they have finished registering, the cost will be $0. Relay registration is capped at 150 teams.
Leg and Bib Assignments
Leg and bib assignments will be made in the week before bib pickup; an Equinox administrator will contact team captains to receive each team’s leg order. If changes are necessary thereafter, that can be done during bib pickup at the relay table on Sept. 17-18; no changes are possible on race day September 19.
Once relay team members are assigned to a leg and bibs are assigned to a team member, it is critical for timing purposes that runners do not swap legs or bibs.
Team Member Changes
Changes to relay teams, including removing, adding, or substituting a team member, are allowed online until September 16 at 11:59 p.m.
If the relay division of your team needs to change (Open category to masters or vice-versa, or male team to female or coed, for example), that MUST be done by an Equinox administrator (email equinox@runningclubnorth.org with those requests). After Sept. 16, changes may only be made at bib pickup. Changes to relay teams may not be made on the day of the race.
Other questions? Please email the Equinox at equinox@runningclubnorth.org.