Gather your friends, family or coworkers together and make the Minneapolis Mararthon a team event. You can create teams of 2, 3 or 4 people. There will be 3 exchange zones on the course where you will meet your teammates and exchange your team timing chip from one ankle to the other. Please see the slideshow for a detailed breakdown of the course and the exchange zones. The Light rail can be utilized as a way to get to and from the exchange zones from the start you will also be able to use neighborhood parking for exchange zone 2 & 3.  Watch for more finalized information here coming soon. Race day is Sunday, June 3, 2012

Minneapolis Marathon Relay Map Preview on YouTube

4 easy steps for the Minneapolis Marathon Relay

Step 1: Create a team of family, friends, coworkers that want to have fun and work together to accomplish a marathon.

Step 2: Come up with a fun team name to register with

Step 3: Register all of you teammates and mark your calendars. When you register you will be given a choice to either create a new team or join a team. If you are the first to register for your team create a name then tell your teammates to register under that name. The order of your team does not matter when signing up. You will fill this information in when you pick up your packet on June 4.

Step 4: Start training for this fun event. Decide who will do each leg of the course. The order of your team does not matter when signing up. You will need to decide the final order when you pick up your packet at packet pick up on June 4. There will also be super fun contest and categories to motivate you to be creative. You will sign up for your category at packet pickup on June 4. The team with the best overall time for each of these categories will be awarded with prizes:

• Favorite Team Ortho Race Theme
• Best Movie Theme
• All Male
• All Female
• COED Team
• College Team
• Home Town Team

Relay Information - click here for diagrams of the route and exchanges zones  Or look at course map here.

• Leg 1 - Starts with Marathon & Half  Marathon at 7:00am. Runs 5.2 Miles to exchange zone 1 at the west side of Stone Arch Bridge
• Leg 2 - Meets leg 1 at exchange zone 1 at the west side of the stone arch bridge parking lot and exchanges the team timing chip. Runs 6.6 Miles to exchange zone 2 on Minnehaha Ave and exchange team timing chip to leg 3. Leg 2 then takes the light rail from 11 - 50th Street/ Minnehaha Park Station to 5 - Downtown East/Metrodome Station.
• Leg 3 - Will meet leg 2 at exchange zone 2. They must either take the light rail or arrange for their own transportation to and from exchange zone 3. Leg 3 will run 8.5 Miles through Fort Snelling to Exchange Zone 4. They will then take light rail back downtown.
• Leg 4 - Will meet Leg 3 at exchange zone 3. They must take the light rail or arrange for their own transportation to exchange zone 4. Leg 4 will run  5.9 Miles back to the finish of the Marathon located downtown near the Guthrie Theatre.
• Please see the information below on taking the light rail. 
• If you would like to drive to exchange zone 2 & 3 there is neighborhood parking. Click here for directions to the general area. 

More information on the Minneapolis Marathon Relay:

• Start time: 6:30 a.m. at the Depot Hotel in Minneapolis (near the intersection of South 2nd Street and 5th Avenue South, in Minneapolis) See Map
• Choose your relay team: 2, 3, or 4 participants! 
• There will be water and finisher medals at each exchange zone. 
• Must do handoff off team timing chip at official exchange areas;  Relay Distances: 1st. Leg: 5.2 miles, 2nd Leg 6.6 miles, 3rd Leg 8.5 miles, 4th Leg 5.9 miles
• All participants in your relay get a men's or women's cut t-shirt, a hat or a visor and a finisher's medal!
• Chip Timing. Your team will have one chip that they will wear around their left ankle and exchange it from one runner to another at the designated exchange zones
• At Packet Pick-up each runner gets a packet for the relay.  One of them will have a chip.  You will decide who will start and use it first then you will swap the chip at each exchange zone.
• No strollers or dogs allowed 
• There is a 6-hour time limit.  Your team must keep a 13:44 minute per mile pace.