LOCALadk Magazine

30 Summer 2017 LOCALadk Magazine LOCALadk It is the middle of the night. I should be sleeping. Instead, I am running along the Moose River on the western edge of the Adirondack Park. I feel like an intruder, disturbing this unfamiliar environment. The darkness is pierced by my headlamp and the silence is broken by the "whoosh-whoosh" of my stride. It is a hot and humid night in August and my 11 teammates and I are on our way to the Saranac Brewery in Utica. We began almost 24 hours earlier, on the top of Whiteface Mountain at 5 a.m. Our lead runner started off down the mountain, engulfed in a thick mist. From there we have run a jagged southwest course through the Adirondack Park, passing a slap bracelet – a plastic band that wraps around the wrist – from runner to runner. By the time we reach our destination, our team will have covered over 200 miles on foot. The recent trend in long-distance relay races has added a team dimension to a traditionally individual endeavor. The Adirondacks already boast a Ragnar Relay from Saratoga Springs to Lake Placid. Last summer brought another running relay to the Adirondacks: the first full-scale Peak to Brew Relay, in August. Relay teams consist of 12 runners (or six on ultra teams) who each run four legs of the relay over two days. Each team is broken into two vans, allowing one group to rest and recoup while the other group is out on the course. In between the times each participant runs, we attend to the demands of eating and hydrating, navigating to exchange points, encouraging other runners (with cowbells, tambourines, war cries, and lots of honking), stretching, sleeping, updating social media, and building friendships. One can also count on some van sing-alongs, silly stories, and inordinate laughter due to mild sleep deprivation. Long-distance running relays have their own cultural markers. "Tagging" is marking another team's van with your own team logo or name. Each person you pass while running is considered a "kill," and many teams track each member's number of kills and take great pride in the carnage. Van decorating is commonplace, limited only by the number of markers on hand and the depth of your collective creativity. All of this adds to the festive atmosphere of the race. The idea for the race began over a campfire conversation between two friends, Jason Croniser and Tim Skjellerup, while on a hiking trip in the Great Range. They conjured up a wildly ambitious relay race with Whiteface Mountain, which has easy van access, as the logical starting point. Having both run the Boilermaker for many years, they reasoned that the Saranac Brewery in Utica would be the perfect place to finish the race and hold a post-race celebration. And so was born the idea for Peak to Brew. Between start and finish, the race takes you through the heart of the Adirondacks, passing numerous scenic lakes and rivers along way, then continues along the rim of the Tug Hill Plateau, through Whetstone Gulf Park, and then onto remote country and farm roads. My own intrigue with the race began one summer night in 2015 when I saw race signs posted just a stone's throw from where I live, in Inlet. As a runner, I was surprised I had never heard of this race, which passed so close to home. A quick Google search and I discovered that this was an exhibition running of a new race that would open registration more widely the following year. Not wanting to miss out on the experience, I placed my name in a runners' tank (a list on the race's website where teams can look to fill in holes in their rosters). A group from Syracuse invited me to join them and I landed on a team sight unseen. The challenges of organizing an overnight relay race that covers 200+ miles are extraordinary. The race directors had to make arrangements with more than 20 municipalities, six counties, two state police troops, and six village police and fire departments. Additionally, 42 relay exchange points needed to be coordinated, safety and communication procedures implemented, food vendors arranged, and volunteers recruited and organized. The race directors took these challenges in stride and found the process tremendously rewarding. They shared that seeing teams on the course challenging themselves, having fun, and building friendships along the way made the long and sleepless nights spent planning, worthwhile. Running Through The Park By Phil Huber

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