WSIU InFocus Video Player

When emeritus race director Gordon Pitz and his friends got together to organize the first River to River Relay in 1987, they probably had no idea how popular the event was going to become one of the country’s most popular running events of its kind. The idea seems simple enough. Each team of eight runners runs a total of ten miles broken up into three legs of around three miles each. But when you consider the sheer logistics of efficiently and safely getting over two thousand runners and their race vehicles from the Mississippi to the Ohio all in a day’s time, the Relay is simple mind-boggling. During last year’s 20th anniversary Relay, Producer Roger Suski spent the entire day on the road to trace the event’s history and learn how the Relay’s organizers ride herd on one of Southern Illinois’ signature athletic and tourism events.