Spokane to Sandpoint Relay

Distance: 190 mile relay for 12 runners
http://www.spokanetosandpoint.com/index.htm
This is a great way to spend a weekend playing with your best running buddies. The views as the course winds from Spokane, WA through Coeur d'Alene, ID to Sandpoint, ID are stunning and the much advertised rollercoaster was a pretty cool addition. All the teams displayed overwhelming support for all the runners. 2008 was the first year for this relay and I was very impressed with how well organized this race was, especially considering the challenges a race this long faces. Here's a few insider's tips if you are putting a team together:
*** Race start times varied from 5 AM to 11 AM on Friday morning. So if you are driving to Spokane from any distance, plan to travel on Thursday.
*** There was good cell phone coverage along the entire route. We found our 2 vans were constantly calling each other to check on the runners' progress. Designate a specific phone in each van, and make sure it has a car charger.
*** The race is self-supported. Temperatures topped 100 degrees in 2008, so bring a lot of water to keep your team's runners hydrated. Most of the first 12 legs are in rural areas, which means there are no stores of any kind to replenish depleted supplies or grab forgotten items. The race organizers did provide portajohns at every exchange zone. If you or your team is interested in leg splits, you will also need to keep track of those yourself.
*** There were some problems with runners going off course. The race organizers seemed interested in improving the race, so I expect the course will be better marked next year. Unfortunately, one reason people got off course was that mischievous people in the Coeur d'Alene area moved course markers and thereby led runners astray during a night section of the race. So I recommend you stay alert and read your leg descriptions before you run. Bike pacers would also be helpful for legs 12-21.
*** Don't be intimidated by night running. Many of my teammates felt that they ran their best during the night, in the second set of legs. Our first legs at midday on Friday were hot (by the end of the race, my team was referring to them as the 'heatstroke legs') and by the third leg we were so tired we were weaving. But during that magical middle the weather had cooled, car traffic has dropped off, you were seeing other runners because teams from the different start times were catching each other. Additionally, adrenaline was still able to hold its own against bleary-eyed sleep deprivation through most of the night.
*** There were showers available near some of the major exchanges. Runners from one of our team vans took advantage of the showers. I think they decided that the time would have been better spent getting a little extra sleep.
*** In 2008, no teams ran in the "ultra" division (6 runners rather than 12). There were 2 teams in an unadvertised "high school" division that ran only 122 miles. Race organizers hinted that a shorter version may be offered more officially in the future.