Twelve of us will be running "The Relay" in April 2008... a 199 mile relay race, sponsered by EAS, that starts in Calistoga, California and ends on the beach in Santa Cruz, California. Each of us will run a set of 3 legs of varying difficulty and distance. texasbuckeye is our Team Captain and will be running a leg over the Golden Gate bridge at midnight!
We have already registered the team under the name "Waiting For Runs". Unless you're completely new to the Nike+ site, you definitely know what that means!
The amazing part is that we are all runners who have gotten to know one another through the Nike+ forums. You undoubtedly know some of us through challenges we have created, or challenges you have participated in alongside us. You may have chatted with us in the forum or read our posts.
Each team is named after one of the runners on the relay team. As my fellow relayers send them in I will be posting a brief bio about each one of us to help you decide which team to run for.
The Road to The Relay - 2008 Challenge is a most miles team challenge that begins on January 1st and ends on April 17th, the day before we will all be heading to Northern California for the race.
***For more info about The Relay, "California's Longest Party", please visit...
***We are also asking anyone who is able to, to sponsor us by making a donation to the relay charity. All donations will go directly to the charity, Organs 'R' Us. For more information about the charity and how you can make a donation, please visit our team's donation page at...
And even if you can't donate, please join our challenge and log some miles with us... in celebration of Nike+ runners and walkers, the friendships we have all made here, and the healthy competition we have all grown to love!!!
1Miletogo - I am a 33 year old Network Admin (Computer Geek). Currently, I am a Colorado resident, but I have called Arizona & North Carolina home in the past. I started running in early 2005, soon after moving to Colorado, and I have thoughly enjoyed it. I started with Nike+ in November of 2006 and the challenges, friendships, and wealth of knowledge has helped me push my running to new levels. I have completed numerous races of varying size from 5Ks to marathons. I completed the Wild West Relay here in Colorado in August 2005 and have been looking at running another relay. I tried to capture the essence of a relay with my virtual relay challenge, but it fell short. I am glad that texasbuckeye has brought this group together to run with some of my virtual friends.
abelisle - A 59 yr. old, retired professor and veteran runner (30+ yrs). Wants to mix in traveling and running. Other athletic pursuits= street tournament basketball, bike racing, bodybuilding; academic highlights= NEH Fellow '85, Medieval Scholastic Philosophy @ Fordham University and Who's Who in America's Teachers 2003-2004
FooRunner - I started running to lose weight and got hooked. I signed up for a 5k and did a whole program and after finishing in under 30 min I was thrilled. It was when of my biggest accomplishments. Then I decided to act on the "I want to run a marathon" feeling that I have had ever since I saw the Boston Marathon for the first time. I joined a training group and never looked back. I ran the Cape Cod marathon on 10/28/07. It was one of the most exhilarating, and hardest, things I have ever done. During my training I ran several local Boston races. All of which can be seen on my athlinks page. I don't run the fastest, or the longest…but I run.
mawz76 - I'm a U.S. Army veteran and mother of 2, who began running again in 2007 to get fit and relieve some stress. I have completed one half-marathon and am registered for another one in February. I hope to start training for my first full marathon after the relay race! I love to read, would eat BBQ ribs everyday if I could and I love me some Indianapolis Colts.
Monk_Monkey - Started running in fall of 2005 with my husband-in-crime, SlowAsHell. We finished our first half-marathon at Walt Disney World in Jan. 2006. I love to run because it tests my limits. I'm entering the world of ultra marathons and have recently completed my first 50 miler. I always wonder just how far can I really go? I also love running because it brings me closer to my family. I bought the Nike+ system the day it hit the stores and am grateful for all the friends and motivation it has given me. I look forward to running with all my fellow Monkies on Team Monk_Monkey!! Woot!
Mrs. Foo - I am more of a walker than a runner. To paraphrase "The Who" 'I can walk for miles and miles.' I could probably even keep up with Chuck Jonard . I have completed several 5ks and a 5 miler. I don't want to toot my own horn, but I beat Bill Rodgers in my 5k.
mystery runner - I am a 34-year-old communications professional from the Pacific northwest. I've been running for just shy of ten years and have survived multiple Hood to Coasts and marathons, as well as races of other distances. I am living proof that a human being can exist on black coffee and Wheaties and still run at least 50 miles a week. I'm looking forward to participating in the relay and then hopping a red-eye from San Jose to Boston to run the Boston Marathon.
noels71 - I'm a 36 year old personal trainer and retail store manager...not at the same time of course. I live in Nampa, Idaho and absolutely love to run. I have also had the opportunity to run in a variety of races from 5k to triathlons. I will be competing in my first Ironman distance triathlon in June. I have been part of this Nike+ community since Oct. 2006 and have had the privilege of getting to know so many wonderful people. I am finally getting to meet a handful of them in April for this relay. Hopefully I will meet many more of you as we truck along this endless highway...let's keep logging in those miles.
SlowAsHell - (Content Warning! SlowAsHell is a smarta**) My bio? All you need to know is I was born clutching a blood clot around 1162 in a Mongol tribe near Mount Burkhan Khaldun and the Onon and Kherlen rivers, not far from the current capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar. Today I can be found in the Seattle area eating cookies and rooting for the local sports team. Hooray for Sports!
SusieQ -
texasbuckeye - As the name suggests I am a resident of texas, but a native son and proud graduate of the ohio state university. I enjoy the challenges running provides and this relay seems like a great new running experience, something a bit more than the usual farther or faster routine we tend to find ourselves in. I have completed loads of 5k & 10k races, 3 half marathons and 2 full marathons. I hope to continue to enjoy the challenges running provides and look forward to improving my PR's in several distances. In the meantime, I will enjoy being a teacher and chasing after my 2 kids. Go buckeyes!
wondermom24 - I'm a single mom with 4 awesome boys. They gave me my first Nike+ kit for my birthday when it came out and life has never been the same! I went from barely being able to walk three miles to running my first marathon this month. Now I love running and can't wait to run this relay with other Nike+ runners. I'll be running for all of you moms out there!
Oh man...this is going to be hard to decide who's team to be on. Maybe I should wait for all the bios...see who has the best credentials and the fewest skeletons in the closet! LOL
I will definitely donate, and I hope everyone else will too. This is a great cause and a great group of folks.
Just made my donation and started researching how to set relay routes into my GPS's. Lots of logistics here that need to be worked out. Biggest adventure I've ever been part of. Looking forward to mass confusion and lots of fun plus meeting some new N+ friends.
Alex ( got to start purchasing all my necessary "survival" gear - just in case ! )
I'll definitely join this challenge, but picking a team is so difficult. There's the Buckeye connection, the Charleston connection (X2) and the mom connection and only one of me. Decisions, decisions.
we could have won, but the 3rd leg runner dropped the baton trying to pass it to the 4th runner. That wasn't what knackered us though, the lead off runner couldn't catch the 2nd runner and he ran out the junction box at the point of handover.
Hey mawz76, I ran the Wild West Relay here in Colorado in 2005 (http://www.wildwestrelay.com/). I actually got my Nike+ screen name from seeing the 1 Mile To Go sign during the relay. I loved the experience, we ran with a 12 member team, each running 3 legs over 200 miles. It was a great way to run with coworkers, there were some challenging legs, ones that I didn't really have on my plate, some legs were above 10,000 ft.
We were in the 1st Van and were able to go and have a nice breakfast and soak in the hot springs while the 2nd van finished up the legs. We were going to do it again the last year with a 6 member team, but had someone not able to make it.
I created a virtual wild west relay here on Nike+ to try and capture the essence of the relay, but nothing short of an actual relay can capture the good times.
I am looking forward to the April relay, I think everyone will have a blast. I will try and get my relay photos that I have up on photobucket, I do have a few photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/1miletogo/, but I have more.
