Our River to River Relay team (Kings of Taper) shortly after finishing the race.
Running on a decline with a cool spring breeze blowing against your back and the bright sun overhead splashing its rays down upon your shoulders is about as good a feeling as it gets. However, knowing that feeling is about to dissipate as you stare down the arduous incline that lies just up ahead is a frightful thought even for the swiftest of runners. Those were just a couple of the mixed emotions I experienced running the Illinois River To River Relay this past Saturday.
What is the River To River Relay?
The 80 mile course begins in the Mississippi River valley from atop Pine Hills Bluff and finishes in the town of Golconda located along the Ohio River. The race consists of 250 teams with 8 team members each that are required to run three legs of the race equaling approximately 10 miles per runner. The Illinois River to River Relay website sums the event up best:
“The Mississippi and Ohio rivers meet at the southern tip of Illinois. Between the two rivers lies a land quite unlike the rest of the state. Rolling hills covered with forests create an environment that is perfect for outdoor sports of all kinds.
Every April over two thousand runners cross this land between the rivers in the River to River Relay. It is not easy to describe the relay to someone who has never participated. It can be exhilarating, exhausting, intimidating, inspiring, and unforgettable, but adjectives alone are insufficient. For participants and organizers, the race is a succession of memorable images that last for a long time.
It is waking at 4 a.m. to get to the start on time and following a convoy of vehicles through the pre-dawn darkness. It is watching mist rise above the forest as the sun rises. It is marveling that two thousand runners and three hundred vehicles can travel eighty miles on back-country roads without someone losing the way.”
Our team
Unfortunately the course can only handle so many teams, therefore, many teams get turned away. Our initial team was one of these teams, but I was blessed to get an opportunity to join the Kings of Taper who was looking for two more runners. It was a great group of fellas and some really good runners. We were able to finish the course with an official time of 10:39:54, which placed us 68th overall out of the 217 teams that finished (23rd out of 82 teams in our division). Pictured below is the Kings of Taper just after we crossed the finish line as a team.
The team consisted of first time relay runners Axel Larson, Micah Larson, Adam Waller, Doug Cherry, Nick Helmold, Kyle Boerke, and myself and 4th time relay runner Brian Harrison. The race was definitely the biggest challenge I have ever faced as a runner, but we had a great time and there are no regrets.
More information on the Illinois River to River Relay can be found by clicking the link. The 2015 River to River Relay is scheduled for April 25th. Start training now and hope to see you there!
Tim Jarvis shortly after taking the handoff from Brian Harrison
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