Beach to Bay 2009 Will Be Here Soon

If you're a runner and you've never experienced Beach to Bay, you have definitely missed out. You should really consider participating in this event. You still have time to participate this year.

Beach to Bay is a relay marathon that is held in Corpus Christi, Texas, each year and is organized by the Corpus Christi Roadrunners. The event is always held on Armed Forces Day so this year, it will be on May 16, 2009. This marks the 34^th year of this annual event.

Each team consists of 6 members. The legs are approximately 4.4 miles each. It is important to think about which member of your team will run each leg. The first leg is run solely on the beach. Some individuals love this leg while others want to avoid it. In my opinion, the best thing about this leg is it's early so it's not too hot yet. The remaining five legs of the race are run on pavement. One of those includes running over the JFK Causeway, a bridge over the intracoastal canal that has a relatively steep incline. I believe that is the third leg. The route may change a little from year to year. If you would like to see a course map, check it out on the Beach to Bay website.

If you're concerned about how you will get to your starting point, check out the information about shuttle buses on the Beach to Bay website. There are shuttle buses that will take you to the starting point of most legs.

According to the Beach to Bay website, the race is the United States' largest relay running event. That's easy to believe since last year, the race attracted more than 10,500 runners. Runner's come from all over the United States to experience Beach to Bay. In addition, there have been runners from Kenya, England, Mexico and Canada.

There are twenty different team divisions so it's usually not hard to put a team together. However, teams should register early. I'm not sure about 2009, but there have been team limits in the past. In addition, you'll save money by registering early. The entry fee is $185 per team for those entries postmarked by April 7, 2009. After that, the fee increases to $265 per team.

The day before the event is the Beach to Bay Sports Exposition which is held in conjunction with packet pickup. This is a great opportunity for vendors to showcase their products and services.

Whether you're a competitive or casual runner, this is a great race to experience.

Sources: www.beachtobayrelay.com/, www.corpusroadrunners.com/