CHAMPAIGN-URBANA, ILLINOIS

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MARATHON RELAY

7:33AM

SATURDAY APRIL 29 2023
ADDITIONAL NOTES:

The Marathon Relay? Yep….the marathon can be a team sport! Gather three of your friends, co-workers, etc. and take a chance on 26.2 miles divided by 4! A ton of fun, this is a great bonding experience with the potential for some good bragging rights!

We are using a wave start. Relay teams should be in the wave that corresponds to their expected total finishing time.

The course will be closed to traffic for participants who are averaging faster than 16 minutes per mile. Slower participants may continue after traffic is allowed onto the race course, but they do so at their own risk and must follow pedestrian statutes. Race volunteers, the finish line, and post-race festivities will remain active long enough to accommodate runners taking up to 7 hours.

 

THE COURSE

The race starts near the State Farm Center on First Street, runs through the University of Illinois campus, heads into east Urbana, including a tour through Meadowbrook Park, comes back onto campus, and then finishes at the 50 yard line of historic Memorial Stadium.

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ENTRY FEE

Our 2023 registration is now open.

REGISTER BY PRICE
07/31/22 $120 per team
08/31/22 $140 per team
10/31/22 $160 per team
01/15/23 $180 per team
02/28/23 $200 per team
03/31/23 $220 per team
04/01/23 through Expo $240 per team

REGISTER

PACKET PICK-UP

Pick up your race packet (race number, goody bag, and race shirt) at the Health & Fitness Expo at the Activities and Recreation Center (ARC). The expo is open Thursday April 27, 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., and Friday April 28, 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The address of the ARC is 201 E. Peabody, Champaign, IL. (See Google’s map.) For parking, see our parking map.

Dynamic bib assigning: We use dynamic bib assigning, which speeds up our race number pickup process quite a bit. On Tuesday, April 25, we will email each entrant a unique QR code (excludes youth run entrants). Print and bring a copy of your QR code (or show it to us on your phone) to be assigned and receive your race number. If you don’t receive the QR code, we can also look you up by your first and last name.

If you plan to pick up a race packet for someone else, which is allowed, you must have a copy of that person’s QR code (paper copy or on your phone). Contact the race hotline (217-372-1444) if your travel plans prevent you from picking up your race packet (race number, goody bag, and race shirt).

LATE PACKET PICK UP ON APRIL 28, 2023

We are offering LATE packet pick-up at Body n’ Sole Sports, 1317 N Dunlap Ave (Rt 45), Savoy, IL from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Friday, April 28, for those entrants who cannot get to the expo before it closes at 7:00 p.m. If you let us know by Thursday, April 27 at 11:59 pm that you will be coming to late packet pickup, we will have your race shirt available, in addition to your race number, and goody bag. We will add a link closer to race weekend that you can use to give us this information. If you miss the deadline, we will have your race number and goody bag only. We’d be happy to mail your race shirt to you after race weekend, however. Please bring a check or money order for $5.00 (made payable to C-U Marathon, LLC) to late packet pick-up to cover the cost of postage.

GOODIES

Relay entrants will receive a Bella + Canvas-brand short-sleeve unisex jersey tee and a drawstring backpack. Finishers get a great medal, food and drink after the race, and one beverage at the 14th-Mile Celebrate Victory Bash on Saturday. (Entrants must display their race bib to receive the beverage.)

SHIRTS

Bella + Canvas-brand short-sleeve unisex jersey tee, made of airlume combed and ringspun cotton/polyester.  Your relay shirt will feel oh so soft!! The shirt comes in adult sizes XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL and XXXL and youth sizes S, M, and L. The color is heather sea green. See the sizing chart

DIVISIONS

There are four categories: male, female, mixed 2 & 2, mixed 3 & 1.

HOW THE MARATHON RELAY WORKS

At the Start Line

Two members of each relay team will start the race at the start line on First Street, just south of the State Farm Center (you don’t have to run together, but two members will be at the start line…your choice of which teammates those are). There is ONE exchange zone and it is on Amber Drive in Urbana, at about mile 6.5, adjacent to the Meijer grocery store (with ample parking for relay team members). There will be a really big Exchange Zone A sign and volunteers directing you.

There is a timing mat at the beginning of the exchange zone, which Runner 1 and 2 cross at the end of their legs and Runners 3 and 4 run across at the start of their legs.

Relay members #3 and #4 wait near the exchange zone. As Runner #1 approaches the exchange zone, he/she will meet up with Runner #3 a little bit before the exchange zone, slap hands, and then continue to run toward and across the timing mat; runner #3 runs across the timing mat after the hand slap and then keeps heading down the race route to complete his/her miles. This process is repeated with Runner #2 and Runner #4.  After relay runners 1 and 2 finish, they can drive the team car back to the finish line area, park in one of the free race parking lots, and then wait for their teammates to approach Memorial Stadium.

Can relay team members finish together in Memorial Stadium?

Yes! If you all want to cross the finish line together, that’s allowed, as in past years. Runners #1 and #2 can be waiting for the other runners over by the final stretch on Peabody Drive. These runners should peel off the timing tag from the back of their bibs and dispose of them after they finish their trek at the exchange zone in Urbana, though, so when they cross the finish line in the Stadium with Runners #3 and #4, a second finish time isn’t recorded for them.

AWARDS

There will be first, second, and third place awards given to each member of each team in the divisions listed above. Relay awards are based on chip time.