Italy Coast to Coast Relay

RELAY DATES:  June 4-7, 2024

RACE TIME:  Begins each morning at 7:30 AM and concludes each day around 6:00 PM.

ORGANIZER – Ovunque Running 

Race Format: Each team is comprised of four runners. Each person on the team runs a daily leg varying from 12-15 miles on each of the four days. Each day, the first stage starts at 7am. The second leg begins after all the runners from stage one have finished. There will be a picnic style lunch and some rest time after leg two. The last leg finishes each day around 5pm.  Each night you will experience a new village where everyone enjoys a celebratory dinner with wine and local cuisine followed by a briefing for the next day.

Course Description: The distance is approximately 224 kilometers (about 139 miles). The event starts on the shores of the Adriatic Sea in Cattolica in the Marches region. The route heads west into Umbria throughout the first day. About 75% of the course runs through Tuscany, which is approximately 20 miles south of Siena. The finish is in Marina di Cecina on the Tyrrhenian Sea. You will be running over extremely challenging mountains across central Italy. This is not a walker friendly event.  Complete details are provided at the pre-race dinner briefing in Cattolica.  Trail shoes are recommended for parts of the course. 

Race Details:

• The teams will be comprised of 4 persons (only men, only women, or mixed women and men).
• The distance of each legs will be run by 4 runners
• The departure of each leg will start at 7:30 AM
• Each evening the group must inform the organization of the relay order for the following day.
• During the each leg, there will be predetermined refreshment stops with water, supplements, fruit juice and toast crisps with honey and jam.
• The team can follow or precede the current runner by car, assisting him/her with food, orientation and clothing changes.
• Each team will be completely independent and self-sufficient during the individual fractions; the organization will have guaranteed control of the run, the survey times and the correctness of the changes in the refreshment stops.
• The participants should be adults and have a medical certificate attesting to their fitness for the run by way of an electrocardiogram. All of the participants should sign a release form for the organization, assuming responsibility for themselves.
• The running times of each group will be timed in hours, minutes and seconds. The sum of the times of each fraction will determine the final classification, which will award the team with the lowest time.

Race Transportation: Each team is responsible for transporting teammates in support vans or SUVs, which should be supplied with food and hydrating liquids. 

Weather: Temperatures can range from 55F in the evening to 85F during the midday. June is known for its cloudless sunny days. The Tuscan sun is quite hot and very little rain can be expected.

Time Limit: Each team member must be able to run 21.1 K (half marathon) in 2.5 hours or less.

Awards: Every runner receives an Italy Coast to Coast Relay commemorative T-shirt.  Trophies or comparable race memento are provided to each team member.

Difficulty: Hard.