Cabot Trail Relay

This was my 3rd time heading back to the Cabot Trail Relay. This is an approximate 280 km relay race around Cape Breton Island in late May and has been running for more than 35 years. It is broken into 17 stages with pre-determined start times (so at the start of each leg, all 70 teams deploy a runner from the same place and time). The race starts on a Saturday morning and runs all day and night until the finish the following morning. It has become a classic relay on the East Coast. Each leg is run along the highway and runners run on the left side of the road, needing to jump onto the shoulder if there is oncoming traffic. The scenery is unmatched (even when it is so dark that all you can see if the moon reflecting off the ocean). The people are unbelievably nice. The race is extremely well organized. There is a banquet for awards and then an afterparty (I have not attended, but is well regarded). It is extremely exhausting being up all night driving around the island supporting you team or running your leg of the race (potentially in the middle of the night), but one of the greatest running experiences I have ever had.