Race Preview: Tuna Run 200 (2014)

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This is one of a series of posts on the Tuna Run 200 relay.  For the whole experience, please check out these links:

• Race Preview:  Tuna Run 200 (2014)
• Race Report:  Tuna Run 200 (2014)
• Race Report:  Tuna Run 200 - Leg #4 (2014)
• Race Report:  Tuna Run 200 - Leg #16 (2014)
• Race Report:  Tuna Run 200 - Leg #28 (2014)

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200 miles + 12 runners + 2 drivers + volunteers = Tuna Run 200.  What are we thinking????

Billed on the web site as "an amazing, overnight relay adventure in which you and your friends run 200 scenic miles," the Tuna Run 200 is something new for every member of our 12-person team.  We have runners of all levels, shapes, sizes, and experience.  Experienced marathoners, a few new to running, and some middle-of-the pack folks like me.  It will be awesome.

If you've never done a 200-mile relay before, it's exactly what it seems like it might be.  Around 70 teams are competing in a relay run that starts near Raleigh, North Carolina and ends at Atlantic Beach on the North Carolina coast.  The 200 miles are broken into 36 legs, and the teams have to change runners at every leg.  The legs are between 2.6 miles and 9.32 miles.  Teams can have between 4 and 12 runners.  Our team has 12, so each of us will run 3 of the legs.

Like most of the larger teams, we'll be in two vans with six runners in each van.  Van 1 handles the first six legs of the race, then takes a break while Van 2 handles the next six legs.  The race begins very early Friday morning, continues through Friday night and into Saturday, and we finish Saturday afternoon at Atlantic Beach.

This is an open course, which means the roads are open to traffic.  We are wearing blinking lights at night and bright colors during the day, and it's our job to be mindful of the traffic that might not be expecting a moving Christmas tree at 3 am on a lonely road in Eastern North Carolina.

To get ready for a run like this, training is supposed to mirror a half marathon.  On race day it will have been 20 days since my last half, and we have two other teammates that recently finished a 15K in preparation.  Training is going well for just about everyone.  We're getting our miles in, learning how to do this relay thing, and trying to figure out exactly what we've signed up for.  We have a few injuries on the team we're working through, but everyone is confident we will finish.

To ensure we show up at the finish line on time and don't miss the post-race celebration, we've estimated our pace and worked back from the finish line to determine where we should start.  Based on our pace, we may be the very first team to start the run.

We're starting to collect our gear, ensure we have the right hydration and nutrition options, and most are tapering at this point.  There are a lot of new things for many of us on team.  I've used gels twice in my life:  once in my kitchen to see if the peanut butter flavor really tasted like peanut butter; and once at McDonald's while a three-year-old smeared it on a biscuit.

Kudos to two people in particular in helping us prepare for the journey.  Anne Francis, a relay veteran and running enthusiast, was kind enough to join one of our team calls and walk us through her experiences and what we might expect.  Anne is the kind of person you'd want on any team, full of energy and excited about life and running.  I stopped by Run For Your Life yesterday to pick up some gels, and Chase Eckard shared his experiences, taught me a little about hydration and nutrition for the run, and offered some tips for the trip.

Our goal is to finish.  Thanks to Anne, Chase, and our team of runners, drivers, and volunteers - it will be a terrific experience.

=== RACE PREVIEW===
Race:  Tuna Run 200
Location:  Garner, NC to Atlantic Beach, NC
Date:  10/10/2014 and 10/11/2014
Distance:  200 Mile Relay

=== LINKS ===
Website:  Tuna Run 200
Registration:  Active.com