The New Cape Cod Relay—Exciting and Challenging Event on a Beautiful Course
This tremendously popular region has a new overnight relay, running next May 1st and 2nd from suburban Boston to Provincetown on the very tip of Cape Cod. It will be a run through history with terrific organization, amenities, and extraordinary scenery.
By Skip Cleaver
The Cape Relay will run 200 miles in roughly 24 hours through some of the most historic and scenic regions in North America. The actual route is 203.2 miles from Quincy, Massachusetts, just south of Boston, to Provincetown on the very tip of Cape Cod in 36 legs for 12-person teams. For some this will reprise the legendary Plymouth to Provincetown Relay, which ran (80.8 miles) from 1974 to 1987, because it will cover much of the same historic ground.
The tip of the Cape is an inviting destination. The Pilgrims on the Mayflower first landed there and spent five weeks there before sailing across the bay to finally land in December of 1620 and found the colony they named Plymouth.
This relay is a run through history and along a beautiful course with gorgeous scenery during the flowering of spring in southern New England. Organization will be first rate with the safety and enjoyment of participants and protection of the environment being the highest priorities.
You and your relay team will have the time of your life all along the course! This is one event you will never forget. Runners love distance relays. The Cape Relay is a running adventure like no other. This event will be the manifestation of team building: Running Clubs, corporate teams, colleges, social organizations, family, friends, public safety departments, charitable organizations raising funds, and people who just love running with friends. With admirable organization, attention to every detail, and the beautiful south shore and Cape backdrop, it is ideal for competitive runners and casual joggers alike. The first annual Cape Relay will simply be the event of the year for many teams and corporations.
The legs will vary in distance from 1.7 miles (#32) to 10.3 miles (#26). There are excellent maps and descriptions of each leg on the Website at www.13relay.com including handoff points. Each runner will run an average total of just under 17 miles with legs averaging 5.64 miles. Actual distances will vary, with legs available for strong runners as well as beginners. There are a few small grades, but no major hills. Most of the course is on relatively rural roads, with some in state forest land and some on trails.
You can’t beat this for company team building and morale boosting; show those colors, and have an absolute blast while doing so.
Organization and Information
The Cape Relay is a two-day event. Teams are given staggered starts based upon the average of team members’ 10k times. This formula spreads teams out while attempting to get all the teams to the finish just in time for the big party and awards ceremony at the BAS-Relief Park in Provincetown.
The Cape Relay is modeled after other long distance relays. The course is divided into 36 legs with designated runner exchange zones at the end of each leg. There are two main categories for teams to choose from: 12-person teams and ultra teams consisting of 6 runners. The course will be well marked and monitored with plenty of access to aid.
The 12-person teams and six-person ultra teams will run around the clock, completing 36 relay legs or stages, each with well-designed transfer points and rest areas.
This event is exceptionally well organized; every detail is covered, offering a valuable and memorable experience to all participants. Organizers have developed a race “book”, which explains and governs safety and competition. It addresses concerns for all stakeholders—runners, volunteers, communities, the state, and the environment. Their award winning Website, www.13relay.com, provides a wealth of information, including maps and on-line registration. It is this incredible standard of organization that has attracted strong sponsorship support and created such a buzz even in its first year. Check it out for the “who, what, and why”, of this terrific event.
Cape Cod was made for running, especially in the spring! Lakes and ponds, ocean and bays, forested vistas, historic villages, rural farmlands, nighttime campfires, sunset and sunrise views, and much more will make the miles really enjoyable. This unique relay is tremendously scenic and rewarding. You simply have to experience this event.
The Course—Your Shared Experience
This 203.2-mile experience begins on Saturday, May 1st at Squantum Point Park in North Quincy. Quincy is the birthplace of the Massachusetts Constitution, Presidents John and John Quincy Adams, and John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress, the first governing body of the United States. The 13Relay, by the way, is named for the original 13 colonies/states that became the United States.
The course passes through many towns and villages that are quintessential New England, along many scenic byways with names such as Shore Road, Ocean View Road, Race Point Road and Beach Road. You will view beaches and lighthouses, ponds, cranberry bogs, and bridges. The first 16 stages (first 87 miles) are on the “’south shore” of Massachusetts through such towns as Braintree, Weymouth, Hanover, Duxbury, Marshfield, Kingston, Plymouth, Carver and the Miles Standish State Forest.
Plymouth (known as “America’s Home Town”) was the second English colony, and the site of the first Thanksgiving in 1621.
Relay leg 14 ends at Scusset Beach on the shore of Cape Cod Bay and at the entrance of the Cape Cod Canal. Legs 15 and 16 are immediately along the Cape Cod Canal, with leg 16 crossing onto the Cape via the Sagamore Bridge. Leg 17 is the first full stage on the Cape, passing the Cape Cod Canal Visitors Center (formerly a Coast Guard Boat House).
The remaining legs and miles visit picturesque towns and villages that are Cape Cod, crisscrossing north to south several times to take in the ambiance and scenic regions of Sandwich, Mashpee, Falmouth, Barnstable, Yarmouth, Hyannis, Dennis, Harwich, Craigsville, Brewster, Orleans, Eastham, and Wellfleet. A full 22 of those miles will be on the Cape Cod Rail Trail, South Dennis to Wellfleet, which offers a terrific variety of Cape scenery, natural landscapes, lakes, ponds, and points of interest. The final 34 miles heading into Provincetown are immediately adjacent to the Cape Cod National Seashore.
Destination, Provincetown: Provincetown was the original landing site of the Pilgrims and the Mayflower. The Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact in the harbor, the original foundation document for democracy in North America. Provincetown was historically tied to the sea as a fishing port and whaling center, and more recently has become an art colony and tourist destination. It has a remarkable historic district, excellent beaches and incredible sand dunes.
The finish line, Cape Relay Expo, party, beer garden, and celebration will be in the center of town adjacent to Bas-Relief Memorial and the Pilgrim Monument and Museum.
The Bas-Relief is located on the Town Green - a small park on Bradford Street across from Town Hall. It depicts the signing of the Mayflower Compact. The signing of the Compact and the election of John Carver as Governor of the group has been called "the first American Act in history." It was the beginning of democratic government and the first step toward the Declaration of Independence signed 156 years later. The tablet on the right gives the text of the Compact and lists the 41 signers.
The tower on the hill behind the bas-relief is the Pilgrim Monument. It was built (between 1907 and 1910; President Theodore Roosevelt laid the cornerstone in 1907) to commemorate Provincetown as the first landing place on the Pilgrims. It is the tallest all granite structure in the USA at 252 feet. You can walk to the top and enjoy a panoramic view of the town and harbor. Looking west to the horizon you should be able to see the Boston skyline and just south of it Quincy, the spot where everyone began this trek the day before.
While you party with your team and new friends, you can contemplate all the adventure and enjoyment that were packed into the hours since departing Quincy. Chances are you will always remember this terrific experience and the development of lifelong relationships from your team and possibly others. This relay will pack innumerable memories and camaraderie into those hours. All 36 legs are very different, every exchange an experience, and every transition area an opportunity to meet runners form all over the land. Sharing, planning, and supporting each member of your team (and other teams as well) creates a sense of bonding and teamwork not experienced in other races. It will stay with you as no other running event.
13 Relay and BBSC Endurance Sports
BBSC Endurance Sports began operations in 2004 and produces five of the largest triathlons in the Southwest, including the largest USAT National Championship in the country. Having had tremendous success in the West and Southwest, BBSC and 13Relay are branching out to the northeast, one of the strongest running regions in the USA. BBSC Founder and Race Director Brogg Sterrett has a reputation for, and is committed to, producing safe, exciting, high quality, environmentally friendly events. There is more information on the organization on their award-winning Website.
Be a Part of New England Running History-Run the Cape
This is an event you do not want to miss. Get going and set up your team and get in on the first one—or you will wish you had. This is a course and a region that will satisfy that wanderlust, that feeling that you want to be part of something very special. It will be a rolling, running, overnight party that will trek through and finish in a historic and very special place. Just imagine the sense of accomplishment sure to be yours. Let’s go!
