Okaloosa County BOCC — November 4, 2014 — Race back Ground and Support information — reading text

Race History - Round the Bay Relay Page | of 3 Race History NOTE: Results from previous years can be downloaded at the bottom of this page. RACE VISION AND HISTORY (2012, The Early Years) Ragnar Relays have become very popular in the running community. These relays are 2-3 day events where teams of up to 12 runners run three legs each for a distance of 3-10 miles. Previous events include a Miami-to-Key West Run, Clearwater-to-Daytona and Chattanooga-to-Knoxville. | have several friends who have participated in these races and we decided to do something similar, but make it a one day event and closer to home. The route around Choctawhatchee Bay provides great scenery with beaches, bayous and the bay as a backdrop. There are seven bridges to run over and sidewalks and bike lanes were used. We had an early morning start to take advantage of reduced traffic at that time of the day. The first year we limited the number of teams to make sure we could do it safely. Mimosa Incorporated from Panama City, led by Captain Jeff Barr was the first to cross the line. For most participants of the race, it was the running highlight of the year, mainly because they selected their own teams, there was a really neat awards exchange, there was a really cool neon green long sleeve shirt and a “Good, Safe, Fun, Event” was accomplished. Fourteen teams completed the race that began and ended at McGuire’s in Destin. FLORIDA BLUE (formerly Blue Cross/Blue Shield), the NWFTC and Run With It were sponsors. Race profits were donated to three Okaloosa County School District entities, The Teacher of the Year Banquet, The All-County Band Concert for both high and middle school bands and for school cross-county and track teams. RACE HISTORY- 2012 (29 Annual Race) ran the entire distance (an ULTRA) themselves. Runners from six different states participated with teams representing Alabama (Mobile, Opp and Talladega), Mississippi (Greene Co.) and Florida. As “word of mouth” spread from the initial race, over 400 runners participated in the 2012 race. Forward Momentum, under the leadership of Captain Michael Sheets, took the race bragging rights back to Mobile, Alabama. http://roundthebayrelay.com/race-history/ 10/27/2014 Race History - Round the Bay Relay Page 2 of 3 The start and finish lines were moved to the legendary FUDPUCKER’S ON THE ISLAND new restaurant. Fud’s coming aboard gave great name recognition and a building large enough to host the post-race party. Even though the restaurant;s new building wasn’t officially opened, runners packed in for a great post-race party. A second post-Fud’s party was hosted by Prop's Brewery and the local running store, RUN WITH IT, continued the post-race activities well into the December evening. FUDPUCKER’S, FLORIDA BLUE, RUN WITH IT and the NWFTC were sponsors. Race profits continued to support the three school entities from last year. RACE HISTORY- 2013 (3 Annual Race) The race continued to grow as seventy teams and 23 ULTRA runners toed the line for a rainy start to the RTB. Many of the ULTRA runners had begun well before the team relay starting time to ensure finishing by 12:30. FORWARD MOMENTUM and Captain Michael Sheets were back to defend their crown and they blew away the field again finishing in 3:46 minutes. Ed Melancon led the way for the Ultra runners finishing the 36.8 miles in 5:23. Twenty-two of his fellow ULTRA runners finished the race to make it a destination stop in the ULTRA running community. Races enjoyed the neon green running shirts along with a RTB 16 oz. Pilsner glass and a race poster for finishing. Runners, who completed the 8.8 mile FUD-to-FUD first leg, were rewarded with a Fudpucker’s t-shirt. Once again, it was the favorite race of the year for the 500 runners. Two new relay exchanges made for a safer relay. The 3'¢ exchange zone was moved from Dockside’s to Bayou Plaza and the 5" exchange zone was moved from Uptown Station to Shalimar Elementary School. The finish line was moved to the back left side of Fud’s and runners had a great view of Choctawhatchee Bay as they finished. Once the post-race was over at Fud’s, runners again headed to Prop’s for the traditional 2"4 half post-race party sponsored by RUN WITH IT. RACE HISTORY (Expectations) 2014 (4™ Annual Race) The 4'* annual race should bring an even larger field of teams and ULTRA runners. New additions for this year’s race include our partnership with the Ramada Plaza Beach Resort on Okaloosa Island. This Emerald Coast icon will serve as RACE CENTRAL along with hosting the Sunday morning Recovery Run. The 5K run will begin on the beach, run through the Ramada parking lot, west on the highway 98 sidewalks, then south on Santa Rosa Blvd before using the beach aces #4 to hit the beach and return to the Ramada. The race will finish behind the Ramada with the post-race poolside. All registered race participants will receive a Bloody Mary or a V-8 to help recover from the two days of running. Lounge around the pool until checkout time. We expect a huge ULTRA field as we received great reviews from last year’s race. This year, we plan to add a couple of ULTRA support stations on the course for those who don’t have support. The Eglin Elementary School PTO will man the stations. Race Results Downloads http://roundthebayrelay.com/race-history/ 10/27/2014