More than 40 relay teams, comprised of 325 runners from 18 states, finished the two-day, non-stop adventure on the Great Allegheny Passage

PITTSBURGH, PA, OCTOBER 12, 2019—More than 40 relay teams, comprised of 325 runners from 18 states, tested their grit during the second annual GAP Relay, held October 11-12. During this epic two-day, non-stop relay adventure, teams of four, six, or eight ran the entire 150-mile Great Allegheny Passage from Cumberland, MD to Pittsburgh, PA. 

Most teams began the race at 11 a.m. or noon on Friday, October 11 in Cumberland, MD and continued running the GAP for 16-26 hours. The weather at the start line and throughout Friday afternoon and evening was ideal running weather, and teams persevered through a few rain showers close to the finish line at South Shore Riverfront Park in Pittsburgh on Saturday, October 12. 

“The camaraderie between teammates and across teams was incredible,” said Troy Schooley, P3R CEO, at the finish line on Saturday morning. “Many teams have known each other for years, many returned for their second GAP Relay, and others were so new that they didn’t know one another before they met at the start line yesterday. But when they crossed the finish line together, they let us know that they had the time of their lives.” 

Defending champions—DiMarco Workhorse Plus 40 II—started the race at 4 p.m. on Friday, giving the other teams a 4-5 hour head start. Through the night, they passed all but two teams and completed the race in 15 hours, 56 minutes–and earned the championship title for the second year in a row. Team No Big Dill was the second place overall team and first to cross the finish line at 7:07 a.m., completing the challenge in 19 hours, 7 minutes. 

In its second year, the GAP Relay became the first-ever carbon-neutral trail relay in the United States. Together with event partner the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC), P3R and the Allegheny Trail Alliance estimated carbon emissions from electricity use, transportation, and water use along the course. Using that estimate, P3R and PEC purchased carbon offsets through the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, which will fund projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the carbon impact of the event.

“Giving back to the trail and the local communities along the GAP is so important to all of us working on this race,” said Schooley. “We wanted to make sure that we left the trail and its surroundings in even better condition than we found them.” 

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