OKALOOSA ISLAND — With team names like Pavement Munchers, The Grateful Tread and The Young and the Rest of Us, runners in the Round the Bay Relay on Saturday morning arrived at Fudpucker’s in high spirits even when faced with cold temperatures and a strong wind.
“It’s mental insanity,” relayer Cassie Blanton said with a laugh when asked why she decided to join the relay.
The local relay stems from Ragnar Relays, which occur all over the country but last from two to three days with teams made up of 12 people. Dennis Samac, one of Round the Bay’s coordinators, wanted to bring a smaller version of Ragnar to the area and make it a destination race attended by people from everywhere.
The race will donate a portion of its earnings to the Okaloosa Teacher of the Year Banquet and the All-County Band Concert, Samac said.
Last year, the inaugural relay consisted of about 14 teams. This year, it aimed for between 25 and 50 squads. It ballooned to 66 teams, each with about six members. Relayers came from Pensacola, Panama City and as far away as Mississippi, Alabama, Nashville and North Dakota.
The route took runners around Choctawhatchee Bay in six legs totaling 36.8 miles. The legs were between 3.6 and 8.8 miles, which allowed runners of different abilities race, Samac said.
The legs consisted of Fudpucker’s on Okaloosa Island to Fudpucker’s in Destin; from Fudpucker’s over the Mid-Bay Bridge to Bluewater Fitness in Niceville; from the fitness center to Dockside Café and Oyster Bar in Niceville where jambalaya waited; from there to Northwest Florida Regional Airport; from the airport to Shalimar Elementary School; and then back to Fudpucker’s on the island.
No prizes are awarded for finishing. Instead, there was a gift exchange at the after party.
“The idea of this relay is to get a group of friends together and have fun,” Samac said.
Dennis Ruiz of the team For Sparta said the after party was his motivation.
“I think everybody runs for the after party.” he said.
Alissa Longo said exercise is a lifestyle for her and her team, the Crestview CrossFit Coalition. The members run three days a week and the rest of the week they CrossFit.
“We love exercise, and adding that whole team component is great,” Longo said.
The team’s strategy was simple.
“Run really fast,” Kim Sears said.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Lauren Delgado at 850-315-4445 or ldelgado@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @LaurenDnwfdn.