Run Your Fastest Marathon Ever in the 26 x 1 Mile Marathon Relay

26 x 1 Mile Marathon Relay 2014 | Photo via Facebook

Here’s your chance to clock your fastest marathon time yet: The fourth annual 26 x 1 Mile Marathon Relay, hosted by West Philly Runners, is coming up Sunday, May 17th — and we’re pretty sure you’ll PR. Well, with a little help from your teammates, that is.

Here’s how the race works: Groups of up to 13 people team up to run 26.2 miles in a relay-style marathon race. If you have 13 people on a team, each team members runs a pre-set one-mile loop two times; if you have less than 13 people on your team, some folks have to run the one-mile loop more than twice. No runner can do two miles back-to-back, and every runner has to take their first lap before anyone can take their second. Each team chooses one of their team members to bring in the last .2-mile leg of the race, running with a torch (yes, a torch) of their own making. And since each team member is only tasked with running a few of the 26.2 miles, the race times are bound to be pretty darn fast.

The relay will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 17th at the Horticultural Center in Fairmount Park, and registration will run you $5 for an individual or $65 for a whole team. You can pay for registration online or on the day of the race (just choose the “free ticket” option if you want to pay day of).

So far, teams signed up include the West Philly Runners, the Monster Milers, Leo and the Boomwhackers, Conshohocken Running Club, and more. So what are you waiting for? Gather all your favorite running buddies and get registered here. All proceeds from registration go to the Fairmount Park Conservancy.

Oh! And teams are responsible for providing their own batons, which can be anything they’d like, so put on your creative hat and start thinking of something hilarious now.

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