How long does it take a relay team to run from Jefferson to Des Moines? The answer Saturday was anywhere between 7 hours, 21 minutes, 5 seconds and 14 hours, 11 minutes, 10 seconds, as demonstrated by about 2,500 runners who ran the Market to Market Relay Iowa down the Raccoon River Trail.
The first team, Team Nebraska, repeated not only as winners, but as winners by less than 30 seconds in a race they had led by a much wider margin.
The last team, placing 337th, Chicks, Hens and Tough Old Birds, can brag, too. They finished the race!
Weather in Jefferson was just about perfect when the first wave started at 5:45, but noticeable smoke from wild fires in northern Minnesota moved in before 8 am, adding a challenge beyond running a 75 mile race.
Cyclists of Greene volunteered at the start in front of the Greene County courthouse. Volunteers of Grand Junction Horizons manned the exchange point at Bullhead Farm south of 250th St in Grant Township, and members of Central Christian Church manned the Cooper exchange point.
For the whole story, read Chuck Offenburger’s post on the Raccoon River Valley Trail website.
