Running is a lonely sport.
You train on your own. You run races on your own.
Oh sure, you run with friends and training partners. You run races with hundreds of others. And if you enjoy ultra-marathon races, you even can have pacers who will run the race side-by-side with you.
But in the end, it’s just the runner and the timer. Runners run their races. Support helps, but the runner runs alone.
Except in relay races.
That’s where you depend on the first guy out, or the second runner, or the anchor, who runs last. That’s when the runner depends not only on herself, but on her teammates. You plan together, spend the hours — or in some cases days — together, driving from leg to leg, cheering on your teammates, helping them recover, and getting them ready for their next time out.
Now that excitement is coming to Northern Kentucky, in the form of the River Cities Relay, a 15-mile race that will see runners racing along the banks of the Ohio River from Newport to Bellevue to Dayton to Bellevue to Newport to Covington and up to Devou Park, before heading back to Newport on the Levee, The race will begin and end at the base of the Purple People Bridge.
It’s scheduled to start at 6 p.m. on Aug. 27 — the evening start at summer’s end means the weather will be easier on the runners. Along the way, and at the after party in Newport, entertainment and refreshments will keep both runners and spectators content.
The inaugural race is the brainchild of the Leadership Northern Kentucky class of 2016, who chose the relay as its community project.
“We were trying to create an event for Northern Kentucky that would be a signature event,” said Pamela Schmitt, a managing director for RiverPoint Capital Management and one of the brains behind the relay. “We wanted to showcase our riverfront, and show off our community’s vibrancy.”
Fort Mitchell Fire Chief Gary Auffart liked the idea of a race. And with his experience running the Bourbon Chase — a 200-mile relay along the Bourbon Trail through Central Kentucky — he imagined something similar for his home community.
“We wanted more than a race,” said the veteran runner. “We wanted an event that would draw people.”
So the River Cities Relay was born. And work is going full speed ahead. Organizers hope to draw 1,000 runners to the riverfront.
The group has hired the two race directors from the Flying Pig, which has given the relay its official “squeal of approval.”
“We have the ability to be picky,” said John Cappella, one of the relay race directors from the Flying Pig. “This event seems well designed, with a unique format as a local relay. And it’s a scenic race.”
Gary Auffart running in the Nashville Marathon. (photo provided)
It will start under the Purple People Bridge outside Newport on the Levee. Individuals can sign up to run solo, or you can have a two-or four-member team. Each team will have a car to get runners to the running legs, pick them up afterwards, and take them to the next stop.
Organizers have mapped out the route, and hope to sign up sponsors for the various transfer points, where they can provide music, entertainment, and refreshments. Fans will be able to gather at the transfer point to share in the fun.
Leg 1 (3.5 miles) will start at Newport on the Levee, run along the riverfront before heading into Bellevue and up Fairfield Avenue. From there, runners will head into Dayton along Manhattan Harbor, with views of the Ohio River, before turning around and heading back to Bellevue.
Leg 2 (3.7 miles) revisits Newport and the Purple People Bridge before heading over the Licking River and along Covington’s riverfront to the base of the hill into Devou Park.
Leg 3 (2.5 miles) is the hill, the steep climb up Western Avenue and into Devou Park to the Behringer-Crawford Museum and Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky, where the reward will be — besides knowledge of a run well done — the breathtaking views of the Ohio River and Cincinnati skyline.
The anchor leg (4.2 miles) will be the longest of the four, but mostly downhill through the park, and back to Newport’s General James Taylor riverfront park. There, team members will meet up and run the final half-mile together to the finish line.
“Depending on the speed of each runner, the rest of the team will have 15-20 minutes at each relay transition stop, where there will be a variety of food, drinks and entertainment to revive and refresh along the journey, said the race’s website, http://www.rivercitiesrelay.com “(It’s) all part of this unique evening experience — uniquely Northern Kentucky.”
When seeking the location of the race, organizers looked for some place that would signify Northern Kentucky, buy also show that it’s part of a larger, regional community. The riverfront — from its scenic views to its growing trail system — seemed a perfect location, said Jon Salisbury, a co-founder of and chief technology office at Nexigen in Newport.
“We looked where we could have the most impact,” he said. Future relays could take place entirely along the trail system, he said.
They’ve taken their plans to groups of mayors and city managers in the affected cities. They have shown, or plan to show, a presentation to the governing bodies of the cities. All have given positive reviews — particularly Bellevue, which is thrilled with the idea that the runners will race up and down the main drag of Fairfield Avenue, Salisbury said.
They have picked up sponsors, including a three-year commitment from St. Elizabeth Medical Center. Salisbury’s Nexigen is onboard, as is radio station WKRQ 101.9. The organizers also have lined up a number of charities — including Be Concerned, the Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky, and the Parish Kitchen.
“It will be hyper local,” said Salisbury. “All of the people and groups involved will be hyper-local.”
Paul Long, on the road (Photo by Kris Payler Staverman)
Paul Long writes weekly for the NKyTribune about running and runners. For his daily running stories, follow him at dailymile.com or on Twitter @Pogue57
