Allatoona 5K & 5K-Relay ('Ekiden')

Saturday, May 21, 2022

Red Top Mountain State Park

Cartersville, GA

Benefiting Allatoona Resource Center

8:00am 5K (individual runner)

9:00am 5K-RELAY  (3-runner team)

PARKING: Limited parking is available at the Iron Hill Trail Parking Lot in Red Top Mtn. State Park.  Additional parking is available at the Allatoona Resource Center (6503 Glade Rd SE, Acworth, GA 30102) where a shuttle service will be providing rides to participants to the start/finish area and back, both BEFORE & AFTER the race.  Please arrive to the A.R.C. at least 30 min. or more before your race to ensure adequate arrival to the start area. The A.R.C. is only 2.4 mi. away from the Iron Hill Trail parking lot.

Not familiar with an 'Ekiden'?  Here is some history of this world-renowned Japanese tradition...

• "For those not familiar with the word ekiden, it means a running relay in Japanese. These races are wildly popular in Japan, where regular high-profile events feature teams powering through a long-distance race, passing on a tasuki (sash) to a teammate at the end of each leg.
• They’re taken very seriously each year in Japan.
• In 2020’s inaugural Asics World Ekiden, for example, there were 56,000 people from 179 countries who took part!!
• In Japan, teams of up to six people usually complete a marathon between the six participants by passing a sash, or baton, on to his/her teammate who then runs the next stint of the race.  Think of an American track relay like the 4x400m.  Only with Ekidens, the distance completed by each team is much longer.
• In the traditional Japanese Ekiden relay, there are six legs in total: three 5Ks, two 10Ks, and one 7.2km leg, so achievable distances for most runners. A team of six makes the most sense, but teams may enter fewer runners and get some of them to run twice.”  AGAIN, that is some BACKGROUND HISTORY OF THE JAPANESE EKIDEN event.
•  

Our race in Bartow Co.,--the 'ALLATOONA EKIDEN RELAY RACE'--WILL BE RUN ON THE SMOOTH, WELL-GROOMED TRAIL known as "Iron Hill" at the beautiful Red Top Mtn. State Park, just outside of Emerson, GA.  The trail navigates through gorgeous wooded areas, along Lake Allatoona for much of the loop, and finishes in an open common area.

There are two (2) different ways to do this 5K:

1. Run the 5K INDIVIDUALLY as a typical 5K trail race.  (This is not a strenuous, steep-hilled affair.  This trail has gentle hills and much flat land).  ....or....
2. Run as a part of an 5K-RELAY TEAM of THREE (3) people.

Here's how the 5K-Relay ('Ekiden') works:

• A 'team' is composed of three (3) participants and each runner does roughly a third of the 5K race, which is 3.1 miles.  Thus, each team member runs approximately 1 mile. 
• Each team must CREATE and BRING THEIR OWN SASH.  Rough dimensions are 2-3" wide by 44-48" long.  This 'loop of material' must fit around one's shoulder and loosely under the opposite armpit comfortably.  Length will depend on size of largest competitor on team.
• Be as CREATIVE as you wish to be when making your team's sash.
• We will be awarding the "Wackiest Sash" award and the "Most Attractive Sash" award.
• Each team needs a Team NAME, so again be as creative as you wish to be, but keep it PG-13 as this team name will be in the published results. 
• Each of a team's three (3) runners must transfer the team's sash--like a baton--to the next teammate.
• For example, Runner 1 starts with the sash and runs one mile, then hands off sash to Runner 2.  Runner 2 then runs one mile and hands off sash to Runner 3.  Runner 3 runs 1.1 miles and crosses the finish line.  
• This will complete the team's or 3.1 mile, or 5K, 'team effort.'  The team's overall finish time is complete when the 3rd runner from the team finishes with the sash.

TRADITIONAL 5K RUN (Run individually)

Runners in the Individual 5K will be eligible for the following awards:

• Overall Male & Female, 1st, 2nd, 3rd
• Masters Top Male and Female
• Age Group medals

Age Groups for the Individual 5K are as follows, MALE & FEMALE:

10 & Under, 11-14, 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60 & Over

5K-RELAY ('Ekiden') (Done as a 3-member relay team)

Runners participating in the 5K-Relay, will be placed in the following age categories according to the team's AVERAGE AGE of the 3 Participating Members.  For example, TJ--age 17, BR--age 40, and CB--age 60 all want to run as a team and their ages added together is 117 years.  Their average age is 39.3 (117 divided by 3), so they would be in the 30-39 age group.

Age Groups for the 5K-Relay ('Ekiden') are as follows, MALE & FEMALE:

19 & Under, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50 & Over 

Each member of the winning relay in each age category receives a medal.  

The 'CORPORATE CUP'

The winning Company/Corporation in the 5K-Relay will win the "Corporate Cup."  They take this impressive trophy back to their business to be displayed for a year, before bringing it back the following year to defend their title....(Think 'Stanley Cup!')

There is no need to actually register as a team.  If all three people individually register, they may all three meet on the day of the race and form their team. JUST BE SURE THAT THE TEAM HAS ONE SASH CREATED.  Each runner does not need to have a sash...only one (1) is necessary and it will be passes along to each member of the team like a baton in track.

This is a rain-or-shine event.

RACE RESULTS will be available at www.wire2wirerunning.com at the conclusion of the race.