Market To Market Relay Photos
WINNER: The winning team, Nebraska Orthopaedic Hospital’s NDORFNZ, ran the entire 86 miles in just eight hours and 40 minutes.
Check out more photos on my Flickr.
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASETo Benefit the Nebraska Trails Networks(OMAHA, Neb., Oct. 14, 2008) More than 1,200 runners took on the 86-mile Market To Market relay race from Omaha, NE to Lincoln, NE on October 11. The endurance race routed 150 teams of six to eight persons from the Old Market in Omaha to the Historic Haymarket in Lincoln, via small towns, rural farms, downtown brick roads, state parks, over rivers and streams and across the plains. The race was followed by a celebration in the Haymarket (8th and T St.) from 5 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. with live music, local artists, radio remotes and food and drinks.
“The 86-mile course is divided into legs of 2.45 to 5.5 miles. Each team selects a runner for three or four legs of the course,” according to Ben Cohoon, race director and founder. “Team distance running events are really becoming popular: Brew to Brew in Kansas, the Wild West Relay in Colorado and Hood to Coast in Oregon have all become high profile events. My friends and I just wanted to share this fun idea with our home state. What makes these events so cool is that they combine the beauty of running with the competitive nature of team sports.”
Running Green
“We want everyone who comes to Market To Market to have a great time, but we also want to establish the race as one of the most environmentally friendly races in the country,” Cohoon said.Runners groups will be encouraged to pick up trash on the trails and recycle their old running shoes. All race materials will be printed on recycled paper. On-site recycling will be provided and the race will purchase green tags to offset the carbon emissions of the vehicles used in the race. Market To Market is also a member of 1% For The Planet and will donate 10 percent of its sponsorship money and donations to maintaining local trail systems through the Great Plains and Eastern Nebraska Trails Networks.
“We plan to have environmental education and activities at many of the race leg rest points,” Cohoon said. “For me, a lot of this is just personal responsibility. We are trying to do a lot of little things that can really add up.”
Selecting the Course
“The obvious route from Omaha to Lincoln would be Highway 6,” Cohoon said. “But then I found out about the footbridge across the Platte River and decided that the route would be a lot more fun if we could make it through a connection of trails. On our Web site, you can read about each of the 24 race legs and which parts of Nebraska they cover.”“Police and sheriffs will help to make this event as safe as possible,” said Cohoon. “A few roads will be closed to Omaha to make the race easier. In addition, each exchange point will serve as an Aid Station and EMTs will be positioned throughout the course so that if something happens, we can react as quickly as possible. Since so much of this course is on trails, and runners will be spread out, there will be safety patrols monitoring the runners between exchange points.”
Getting Involved
The Market To Market Relay reached maximum capacity of 150 teams on July 24th. The race has also filled its waiting list of alternate run teams. Anyone interested in getting involved with the Market To Market Relay is encouraged to volunteer.For more information, please visit www.markettomarketrelay.com. You can also learn more and read comments by race participants on our Facebook Fan Page. Just search for Market To Market Relay.
Editor’s Note: For high resolution photos or to schedule an interview with Ben Cohoon, please call Bill Flavell at (402) 965-4360 or contact by e-mail at bflavell@bozell.com.
