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.
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 directly. The replacement athlete must return to the start of that racer’s start of discipline (i.e. previous exchange) and start 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 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 our website describing our three other events: The Valkyrie Sprint Relay, the Valkyrie Midway Marathon and Half Marathon. 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 and Midway, 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 Rainbow Bay at Deer Creek Reservior beginning a split time for SUP and Swim legs. The Mountain Bike course continues southbound on the Deer Creek Trail. The SUP exchanges with the Open Swim starting and finishing at Wallsburg Group Area and the Mountain Bike course exchanges with Road Cycling at the Deer Creek Dam Parking Lot. The Road Cycling leg proceeds on its course over North Fork Ridge and then cross the Finish Line at Soldier Hollow to complete the relay and combine with the SUP and Swim split time. All athletes are encouraged to join at the Finish Line to be recognized and to join the festivities of the Endurance Sports Summit held there.
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 96-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. Certain waste zones/collection points will be designated and communicated. An event waste management strategy will be communicated later.
We have thought of that. It will be rare that a team cannot finish on time given our split-time on the SUP/Open Swim, 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.
The registration price covers your entire team, regardless of how many teammates you choose to compete with. The registration process requires you to first select a team captain and the sport she/he will compete in and select the team name. The captain will be required to pay the team registration fee during their registration. Once completed your other teammates can register under your team name and select the legs they will be racing.
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. 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.
Mountain Bikers and Road Cyclists should be prepared to make their own repairs, alone 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.
Vehicles driven by registered Wingmates shall also be registered with organizers by make, model and plate number. Registered vehicles shall be issued a Vehicle Access and Parking Permit (VAPP) which will grant it 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. Only registered Wingmate vehicles are eligible for a VAPP. Additional vehicles needing access and parking privileges at the Bivouacs with be charged a fee (amount TBD) at ingress. For more information about VAPPs, please see: (need content and URL)
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"
Absolutely. If we decide to cancel the race due to COVID-19 concerns we will refund your race entry fee within 30 days of announcing the cancellation.
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.
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 tag 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. Alternately, your team can register an additional Wingmate and vehicle, or you can shuttle gear and competitors to Valkyrie Bivouac locations to unload (see Valkyrie Bivouacs link). Unless you have made arrangements to demo or rent direct from a supplier operating at a transition zone, you should be prepared to transport a minimum of 3 competitors at once and the following equipment in stages or all at once: kayak or canoe, mountain bike, SUP board, Road Cycle, team hydration/nutrition. Here you can find links to preferred van rentals: link
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 – The Marathon, Half-Marathon, 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, lane closure, 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. The portion of the Mountain Bike course on the Deer Creek Trail will share with general public, but it is a double track trail, suitable for passing.
Sponsors/Contractors
We would love to talk! Please contact us directly about it.
Logistical services and standard furnishings & equipment, live site staging and 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 (see Endurance Sports Summit Registration)
Volunteers/Wingmates
YES!! We have volunteer positions serving the Valkyrie Relay and the Endurance Sports Summit: Race & Expo Logistics, Traffic Management, Race Safety/Wayfinding Sentries, Expo Event Services, Athlete Services, Transition Zone Referees, Social Media Agents, and Expo Hospitality. To sign up, go to: https://endurancesportssummit.com/valykrie-relay/volunteers/
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 (link). If you do not have a team already that you can support, sign up on our message board to help a team that is lacking: MESSAGE BOARD LINK