Next Sunday is the Mill Cities Relay and below is all the final race-day and logistics information. Captains should be in contact with you this week to discuss leg assignments, carpooling, etc.

IMPORTANT: If, for any reason, you can no longer make the race, please let your team captain know as soon as possible, as this may impact our eligibility to score points and we may need to inform the organization about this.

We will meet at Stark Brewing Co in Manchester between 6 and 6:15 a.m., Sunday, Dec. 4.

Captains will collect race fees from each participant. The cost to run for paid club members is $10. If you haven’t paid for 2022, you can pay dues the morning of and it will cover you for 2023. The race fee + the club registration is $40.

After collecting fees, captains will bring the money to Muriel Saliba and she will provide the team’s race packet.

We will have club branded buffs for anyone who wants one and GMRC singlets for sale for $20. Please see Timm Huffman if you are interested. Cash, check, or Venmo will be accepted, but no IOUs.

Once the packets are handed out, each team will carpool to the start at Eagles Hall in Nashua, shooting to leave Manchester by 6:30 a.m. The race starts at 8 a.m. Eagles Hall has bathrooms and there are several food/coffee options nearby.

The race ends at the Claddagh Pub in Lawrence, MA. Many will stay for a pint, lunch and awards ceremony. Others will leave early. If you need a ride home before the team leaves, or want to stay longer, please talk to your captain and they can help get you a ride home.

Since this is a marathon-distance relay, most teams can expect to be finished running between 10:30 and 12. The race ends at Claddough Pub, Claddagh Pub, 399 Canal St, Lawrence, MA, and lunch is included.

For captains/team drivers, here is the link to the course information and locations/maps for the transitions: https://millcitiesrelay.com/race-info/course/.

Additional notes on race-day logistics

• Prior to the start of the race, get an estimate of how long each runner takes to complete their leg. This will help you determine how much time you have between transition zones.
  
• Drive to Transition 1 (Leg 2). All teams need to leave the Eagles Wing Function Hall 5-10 minutes before the start of the race to avoid being caught up behind the racers, as there is a spot where the runners cross the highway on route 3 and if you get caught behind that you might not make transition 1. 
  
• After the handoff, collect your runner and proceed to transition 2 (Leg 3). Leg 3 is short (2.5 miles) and should take your runner between 14-20 minutes to complete. With this tight margin, it may be necessary to drop runner 3 at transition 2, then proceed immediately to transition 3 to drop runner 4, circling back to pick-up runner 2 before grabbing runner 3 on your way to support runner 4 on the long leg.
  
• Leg 4 is a nine-miler and you will have plenty of time to support your runner a couple of times, but be sure to arrive at transition 4 on time.
  
• You can support runner 5 early on, but you should hustle to the finish line, as some streets are blocked off and the drive can take a while.