The
Race For those who are new to Reach the Beach Relay
Race (RTB), it's a 210 mile race accross NH. In 2008, the RTB start-line
was at Canon Ski Resort and finish-line at Hampton Beach. The weather can range
from blistering hot to down right cold, nasty and rainy - most often, the latter! Typically,
there are 300 teams of 12 runners. There are 36 legs to run ranging in distance
from 2 to 9 miles. Each team of 12 is divided into, two vans. Runners 1-6 are
in Van #1 and runners 7-12 are in Van #2. They remain in this running order (and
van) hopscotching each other every 6 legs until the Finish Line. There is a 36
hour cutoff time so teams must have an average running pace no slower then 10
minutes per mile. Training is best accomplished by using a half
marathon training schedule. Hill work and 2-a-days are clearly indicated. Each
runner on a team of 12 will run 3 legs. Sleep will be scarce. Wet, damp, and smelly
clothes and teammates will be plentiful! (That's half the fun!) Teams
begin the race in a staggered fashion. Slower teams start closer to 8 AM and faster
teams begin as late as 4 PM. | 
