Go the Distance Together.

Make the marathon a team effort.

Want to experience the beautiful, buzzing energy of the Classic City Marathon without committing to the whole 13.1 or 26.2?  Have a group of fun-loving friends, family members, or coworkers that you would be honored to call “teammates”? FANTASTIC! Come run the Classic City Marathon Relay!  

The Basic Idea

A marathon relay is an event that covers 26.2 miles of distance along one set course. But instead of one person running the entire distance, each member of a relay team runs only their part of the course!

Runner #1 starts at the beginning and runs the first section of the course, ending at the first Exchange Zone — where their teammate is waiting. Runner #1 passes the team’s special Relay Belt and Relay Bib to Runner #2, who runs the second section of the course, ending at the second Exchange Zone.

Repeat a couple times, and you eventually have Runner #4 running the fourth section of the course and ending at the Finish Line!

Sound fun? It is! It’s also a bit complicated, but you can do it! Lots more details are below and in our Relay Guide to help you.

How to Create and Register Your Team

Any group of two, three, or four people can be a Marathon Relay Team. 

Choose one team member to serve as your Team Captain, and give yourself a fun Team Name!

Your Team Captain will register first, pay for your team, and enter your Team Name into the system. Other members of your team will then register (at no additional cost), sign the waivers, and join the Team.

  • Sorry, we are not matchmakers. You’ll need to create your team on your own.

  • The course is divided into four sections of ~6-7 miles each. If your team has fewer than four people, one or two of you must run two or three sections of the course.

Are you part of a Greek Life organization at the University of Georgia? Read about our special Greek Life competition and choose Greek Life Relay when you register!

Where is the Relay Course? Where is my Section of the Relay?

As whole, the relay course is the marathon course. As individuals, each member of a relay team will run one or more of these four legs, or segments, of the course. Every relay runner must start and end at an Exchange Zone (or at the Starting Line or the Finish Line). Your team decides who runs which leg (or legs).

Getting from “Start” To “Start”… To “Finish”!

Most members of your relay team will start and/or finish somewhere in the middle of the complete marathon course. Our friendly Relay Shuttles will help!

Getting Out to Your Relay Start

Shuttles will depart from the statue of Athena in front of the Classic Center to take runners to the Exchange Zones for legs 2, 3, and 4 of the Relay. See important details in the Relay Guide.

  • Shuttles to Exchange Zone 1, for Leg 2 runners, leave at 7:55 a.m. and 8:05 a.m.

  • Shuttles to Exchange Zone 2, for Leg 3 runners, leave at 8:40 a.m. and 8:50 a.m.

  • Shuttles to Exchange Zone 3, for Leg 4 runners, leave at 9:40 a.m. and 9:50 a.m.

Getting Back from Your Relay Finish

After you finish running your part of the relay, volunteers at the Exchange Zones will help you find the return shuttle. Return shuttles will bring you to the statue of Athena in front of the Classic Center.

If your team would rather arrange your own rides to and from the Exchange Zones, or combine some shuttle rides with some independent rides to or from the Exchange Zones, that’s fine, too.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Each segment of the marathon relay is ~6 to ~7 miles. If you are a team of four, you will each run one segment of the relay. If your team is smaller, one of the three people, or both of the two people, will run more than one segment. How to divide the segments is up to you. Exchanges must be made at Exchange Zones.

  • Your team decides who will run which leg.

  • We encourage relay participants to use the provided shuttles. There is also parking available at each of the relay exchange points. See more details in the Relay Guide.

  • Relay runners are running the marathon course. There are water stops, port-a-potties, medical assistance, entertainment, and crowd support!

  • Here you go!

  • The complete Relay Guide or the long-form narrative description of the courses might answer your questions! Email us if you still need help. We know it’s complicated, but it’s worth it!