For race-related communications, the short answer is no. Please consider the safety of others competing alongside you and refrain from using anything that would reduce your ability to openly communicate with other racers, course referees and law enforcement (i.e. headphones). For other personal communications and music listening, Race Rules and Ettiquette discourages this in the interest of safety.
Participants should not have any expectation for a refund if the race is held, but your team does not participate. Valkyrie Organizers will hold the race, rain or shine, unless unforeseen or unavoidable circumstances and conditions compel cancellation (Force Majeure). In the case of Force Majeure cancellation, participants likewise should not expect a refund. (see also FAQ: What happens if the race is cancelled because of COVID-related issues? Will we get our entry fee back?)
Planning and operating a road race takes a collective contribution of all participants, who by registering, agree it is something to be done all together – or it wouldn’t be a race. Financing and spending for an annual road race is critically different than an ongoing operation (like an accommodation, or amusement park). In order to be ready on race day, race organizers must spend well in advance on marketing, venue fees, service & workforce contracts, safety & emergency services, consumables, operating supplies & equipment, workforce & athlete welfare, and gifts & incentives – all for one moment we all agree to, collectively, with each registration.
You can outright change teammates all the way up until packet pickup. If a teammate must be relieved mid-race, Race Organizers will take steps to eliminate any unfair advantage from doing so. If a competitor is injured and requires a replacement, they must inform a course referee or race organizer, directly. The replacement athlete must return to the start of that racer’s start of discipline (i.e. previous exchange), starting the leg over. The replacement MUST wear a bib that matches the team – either as an athlete from another leg or one who has taken the bib from the injured competitor.
Yes. Competitors and their Wingmate(s) will need to arrange their own communication schemes to address and respond to such circumstances, as they happen. Please consult course maps to learn safe locations for equipment switch-out and any restrictions or advice on approaching the racecourse. Unlike the rule for replacement of competitors (i.e. for reason of injury), switch-out of equipment can happen on course, without return to the start of the race leg.
Yes, if teams want to increase the challenge or are not able to field a full team of specialists, a single competitor may compete in more than one leg of the race. By special arrangement with Valkyrie Relay Organizers, athletes wishing to compete in the Ultra Division may do so with 3 or fewer for the Full Course and 1 or 2 for the Sprint Course. Those competing in the Ultra Division are still required to provide their own dedicated transport and equipment shuttle support (Wingmates) and a dedicated spotter for the Open Swim leg.
The registration process requires you to first select a team captain and the sport she/he will compete in and selcet the team name. The captain will be required to pay the team registration fee during their own registration. Once completed, your other teammates can register under your team name and select the legs they will be racing. We understand that you may not have a whole team assembled at the time of registration, so we allow you to submit your team roster any time after registration up to two days before the race. Teams who submit their team roster after June 7th will receive complete race packets, including T-shirts, but T-shirt sizes cannot be guaranteed. The "captain" designation need only last as long as you need to assemble a team. Anyone on the team can be (re)designated "captain."
The Following description relates to the Valkyrie Full Course Relay. Please also consult this website describing the Valkyrie Sprint Relay. The Valkyrie Multisport Relay is a seven-leg team relay that includes the following sports in sequence: trail running, canoe/kayak paddling, road running, mountain biking, stand-up paddle boarding, open water swimming, and road cycling. The course begins at Jordanelle Reservoir where racers will compete in the Trail Run and Paddle legs and begin the Road Run. The Road Run passes through Wasatch County, Midway, and Heber City, ending at the Soldier Hollow Nordic Center. Here, the course exchanges to the Mountain Bike and, remotely, the Stand Up Paddle Board legs concurrently. The Mounatin Bike course begins as a circuit at Soldier Hollow while the SUP leg starts at Great Horned Owl Beachhead at Deer Creek Reservior, beginning a split time for SUP and the Swim legs. The SUP exchanges with the Open Swim starting and finishing at Great Horned Owl. When the Swimmer finishes, the Water sport split time stops and will be added tothe Team aggregate time, still in progress. The Road Cycling leg begins with the conclusion of the Mountain Bike Leg at Soldier Hollow. It starts a series of two out-and-back alpine sections: Cascade Spring Road and Pine Canyon Road, connected through Midway. After decsending Pine Canyon Rd, the Road Cyclist makes a clock-wise tour of Heber Valley through Midway and Heber centers and back Soldier Hollow to the Valkyrie Relay Finish Line. All athletes are encouraged to join at the Finish Line to be recognized and to join the festival atmosphere there.
Visit also the website of our companion races, the Heber Valley Marathon & Half, and the Valkyrie 5K Run / Walk & Pursuit. The Endurance Sports Summit is the anchor event that ties all of the races together in a sport industry expo, and family-friendly festival at the finish line at Soldier Hollow.
Thank you for the concern! The course is shared by all residents and visitors of the area. Please be considerate. With their best efforts, race organizers would never be able to retrieve all discarded items along the 110-mile course. Competitors are subject to Rules of the Road race format which include existing laws and fines for littering – designated Aid Station zones excepted. Waste zones/collection points are at every Aid Station.
If you are looking for a team, please register as an "Unaffiliated Athlete Seeking a Team." It will coast you nothing until you arrange payment to the team you join. If you ae a group looking for another athlete, register a team and/or write to info@valkyrierelay.com to request a match-up with unadfiliated athletes. Another very good option is to communicate this need using our valkyrie community communications platform, Pronto.io. Just follow instructions on your registration confirmation email to join the talk group, or find it in a separate email RE: Valykyrie Communications Platform, Pronto.io.
We have thought of that. It will be highly unlikely that a team cannot finish on time given our split-time on the SUP/Open Swim that is concurrent with the Mountain Bike leg. Please consult our Valkyrie Relay Course Hourse in each leg's description on our website to assist in estimating team pacing to stay ahead of course closures.
Yes. This race is conceived to inspire competitors at all levels to push themselves, and to stretch their physical limits. Valkyrie Organizers believe this race is accessible to recreational racers due to its nature as a team relay, and the option for Full Course (110 mi) and Sprint Course (68 mi) versions. You don’t need to take on the whole course alone, and you may find a greater variety of friends ready to challenge themselves in one of the disciplines than if the race were comprised of a single sport. Look at all of the sport disciplines and their distances. If we have piqued your interest so far, you should plan to wear a race bib and get on course.
We have links to interested rental and retail outlets, some of which will set up product/equipment demo stations on-course and at the Endurance Sport Summit at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center. Here you can scroll-down to find links to local retail and rental shops for the equipment needed for the Valkyrie.
Mountain Bikers and Road Cyclists should be prepared to make their own repairs along on the racecourse, if they can safely move aside to do so and not obstruct the course. Mountain Bike repairs or exchange of parts or equipment requiring assistance must be done at the bottom of the racecourse or trail head. For Road Cycles, repairs or exchanges requiring assistance can happen at any safe and non-obstructing location, off the road/highway. Wingmates should plan to keep on hand essential tools and competency to assist. Should designated repair/maintenance locations be determined, these will be communicated later.
Yes. State Park regulations require that a swimmer’s ‘spotter’ be in the water in or on a watercraft. Our recommendation is, after tagging the swimmer, have your SUP competitor or other teammate keep pace with your swimmer, off-course, on the SUP board. This way you will not need to load/unload additional watercraft. Additional trained staff will also be on hand, in the water to assist in extraction and medical attention, if necessary.
Teams will pick up (2) Vehicle Access and Parking Passes (VAPP) for vehicles driven by registered Wingmates. They are transferable between vehicles. The VAPP is not an official government-issued credential, but does grant the vehicle select, controlled course access (e.g. exchange zones) and controlled course parking/staging privileges. It also grants access to the Valkyrie Bivouac grounds at no additional charge. Additional vehicles needing access and parking privileges at the Bivouacs with be charged a fee (amount TBD) at ingress.
You may decide with your Wingmate to share his/her contacts with family. Wingmates are likely to know competitors’ whereabouts in real time, and it would keep you focused on the race. You may also want to check out the Valkyrie Relay Course Hours in the descriptions of each leg on our website to assist in estimating when individual competitors might be on-course.
In short, while competing on the road sections of the race, competitors must obey all relevant pedestrian and cyclist laws of the community in which the course is located. For further study, please see the descriptions of each relay leg, "Course Rules & Etiquette"
No, not for the 2022 race. Last year, in 2021 we guaranteed refunds for government-mandated race cancellation due to COVID-19. This was an effort to brace against the uncertainty race customers would have while registering in more uncertain times. In 2022, Public Health and permitting agencies do not view the pandemic as a plausible reason to cancel the race. Participants share the risk of cancellation with organizers as they would any other "act of God" (Force Majeure). For more, please review the race waiver signed at the end of registration.
Yes, you can change your teammates all the way up until packet pickup, the evening before the race. If this is the case, the new team member will need to sign all waivers and follow any other instructions the rest of the team is subject to at race packet pick-up. We do ask that you submit the most accurate list of teammates you can when you register so we can purchase the correct sizes of event shirts. Last minute changes may result in one of your teammates not having the correct size event shirt.
Please do! If you can be semi-self-reliant with transport and have good communication with your team, there is no reason you cannot join us at the Summit before and after your race leg. The Summit opens at 09:00am and closes at 09:00pm. We hope your team will arrive together to the Valkyrie Finish Line at the Endurance Sport Summit at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center, Midway, Utah in time to see your Road Cyclist cross the line and be recognized together as Finishers. Check out the Valkyrie Relay Course Hours to assist in estimating when Finish Line activity is highest.
We will consider a small number of designated and well-marked locations for this purpose (e.g. Aid Stations). We will communicate this through regular race update channels and indicate such on the course map.
A Heptathlon (or Dec-, Tri-, or Pent-athlon) is a multi-discipline competition performed by a single competitor. The Valkyrie Relay is a team event. Competitors complete their leg of one of the following sport disciplines and hand-off the timing braclet to the next: Trail Run (TRL), Kayak/Canoe Paddle (PAD), Road Run (26.2 mls or two 13.1 ml legs) (RDR), Mountain Bike (MTB), Stand-Up Paddle Board (SUP), Open Swim (SWM), and Road Cycle (RCY).
It is unlikely that all gear can be accommodated on a single vehicle’s rooftop alone. If your team Wingmate plans to carry all gear at once we recommend a large van or pickup with crew/double-cab seating, and roof racks or trailer for the watercraft. Your team will be issued (2) Vehicle Access & Parking Passes for Wingmate support vehicles. Or you can shuttle gear and competitors to and from Valkyrie Bivouac locations to unload. You should be prepared to transport a minimum 3 competitors at once and the following equipment in stages or all at once: kayak or canoe, mountain bike, SUP board, Road Cycle, personal hydration/nutrition (athlete nutrition and electrolytes are provided at the Aid Stations by CarboRocket) . Here you can scroll-down to find links to preferred van rentals.
Yes, you can do this. The racecourse is a public accessed route comprised of State Park managed trail and reservoirs, State Highways and municipal roadways. Entry fees might apply to enter State Park areas.
The road sections of the race – Road Run relay leg (RDR) and Road Cycle relay leg (RCY) – will be governed by “Rules of the Road” policies of the communities the course passes through. Select portions of the course will be under traffic control, marked lane encroachment, or controlled crossing in the interest of the race and community. Water courses at Jordanelle and Deer Creek Reservoirs will be closed to competitors only and enforced by State Park Officials. The Trail Run at Jordanelle and Mountain Bike circuit at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center will be will be closed for competitors only.
Valkyrie Relay Team Captains can register a team for just the cost of their own participation this year instead of paying the full team registration - e.g. Early Bird price $85 for Full Relay and $75 for Sprint Relay. Valkyrie Relay Teammates register as a member of an existing team, for the same price as their captain.
Sponsors/Contractors
We would love to talk! Please contact us directly about it.
Logistical services and standard furnishings & equipment, live site staging and audio/visual backline, temporary staffing for event services, volunteers, food & beverage trucks, hydration and nutrition products, radio communications, support vehicle fleet, signage design & printing, timing, merchandising (product supplier), merchandising (transaction services), trade show concessionaires and exhibitors (learn more about the Endurance Sports Summit and regiter to exhibit).
Volunteers/Wingmates
YES!! Ask someone to register now! We have volunteer positions serving the Valkyrie Relay, Heber Valley Marathon & Half, Valhalla 5K Run/Walk & Pursuit, and the Endurance Sports Summit. We need volunteers to do the following things: Race & Expo Logistics, Traffic Management, Race Safety/Wayfinding Sentries, Expo Event Services, Athlete Services, Transition Zone Referees, Social Media Agents, Photography/Videography, Event Hospitality. Register here!
Be a Wingmate! Teams will need logistic champions and cheerleaders behind the wheel of a support vehicle. The Wingmate is an essential member of the team! Check out our Wingmates page to learn more. If you do not have a team already that you can support, register for the Valkyrie as an "Unaffiliated Athlete Seeking a Team." It costs you nothing. Just check "Wingmate" as your position. Once you complete the registration, the confirmation email will invite you to join the Valkyrie race commity communication platform, Pronto.io. It's a great way to reach out to the large group to assist in placement. Thanks for wanting to help!