PAL Teams Up with Ragnar to Host Napa Valley Relay Race

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PAL has joined forces with Ragnar Relay Series to host a 187-mile relay race from San Francisco to Napa Valley on September 16-17, 2011. PAL was chosen as the official charity for the two-day event. This means PAL will provide volunteers, promotional help and race support. In turn, Ragnar will donate $300 to PAL whenever teams register using the promo code NV11PAL.

Teams are already forming, including one headed by PAL President Rick Bruce. The deadline to register your team is August 24, 2011.

Teams of racers will journey through the wine country of Northern California, beginning in San Francisco and ending in Calistoga. Runners start at the Marina Green on the San Francisco Bay, cross the Golden Gate Bridge, wind their way through Marin toward Petaluma, then cross to Sonoma, Napa, and finally the finish line in Calistoga.

“San Francisco PAL is incredibly grateful to have the support of Ragnar,” said Lorraine Woodruff-Long, executive director of PAL. “Our partnership with Ragnar Relay Napa Valley will not only generate significant fundraising dollars, but also further our mission of providing healthy recreation and leadership activities for San Francisco youth.”

Carly Raska, Napa Valley race director for Ragnar Relay, said the selection of PAL reflects the organization’s emphasis on health and fitness, as well as its love of youth sports. “We enjoy opening up our Ragnar community to great organizations like SF PAL that make a difference in the lives of youth,” Raska said.

Each Ragnar team requires 12 runners (or six runners for an “Ultra” team), two support vehicles (vans), and three volunteers.

There are six runners per van. The first van drops off the first runner and drives ahead to the first exchange point. Teams repeat this pattern six times until they hand off to their second van. This leapfrogging pattern continues day and night all the way to the much-anticipated finish line.

You don’t have to be a pro! Each leg of a Ragnar race varies in difficulty so elite and novice runners can run together in teams. The average team pace is 11 minutes per mile.

All local teams must provide three volunteers to help along the race course (van drivers do not count as volunteers). Teams are considered local if they have one or more team members within 100 miles of any point on the course.

PAL supporters who would like to organize a team for the Napa Valley race can register online at the Ragnar website or email Carla Raska for more information. Make sure to use the PAL promo code NV11PAL. When you do, you help raise money for PAL.

Ragnar Events, LLC was co-founded in 2004 by Dan Hill and Tanner Bell to fulfill the lifelong dream of Hill’s father, who envisioned a relay race across the Utah mountains. Hill and Bell organized a 188-mile relay from Logan to Park City, Utah, in 2004. Since then, the company has grown from sponsoring a single relay in Utah to hosting 14 races, including the largest overnight relay series in the nation.