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What is the Beach to Bay Relay Marathon?
The Beach to Bay Relay Marathon is an annual six-person relay running event held in Corpus Christi, Texas on the third Saturday in May. Why the third Saturday in May? The third Saturday in May is Armed Forces Day. Back in 1976, the very first Beach to Bay Relay Marathon was held on Armed Forces Day to honor our nation’s men and women serving in the United States of America’s Military. This tradition was founded by Captain John Butterfield, who today currently resides in the State of Florida.
This year’s 36th running of the Beach to Bay Relay Marathon will be held on Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 21, 2011. The race always begins promptly at 7:00 a.m. at Nueces County Park on the beach just south of Bob Hall Pier, adjacent to Gulf Beach Access Road 6.
The Beach to Bay Relay Marathon is a complete 26.2 point-to-point relay route, beginning on North Padre Island, winding through Naval Air Station Corpus Christi and ending at Cole Park along Corpus Christi’s scenic downtown. The course is divided into six-legs approximating 4.4 miles. The first leg is run on the beach and the remaining legs are run of pavement.
The race has grown in immense proportions since 1976. Today, the Beach to Bay Relay Marathon touted 2,356 teams in 2010, totaling over 14,000 runners. The Beach to Bay Relay Marathon is a relay-running event (largest in the United States) consisting of six (6) participants per team running each individual leg of the course. (Six participants are required for each team)
The race has attracted runners from Kenya, England, Mexico and Canada and is the United States most premier and largest relay running event.
All proceeds from the Beach to Bay Relay Marathon go to assist local charities in the Coastal Bend Area!
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