River to River

Yesterday, Brandon participated in the River to River Relay. It is an 80 mile race through Southern Illinois from the Mississippi to Ohio Rivers. Teams of eight members take turns running 2.5-4 miles of the course. Each runner does three legs and while they wait their turn they travel in a van from checkpoint to checkpoint. The course is extremely hilly (you can see the elevation of each leg here).

Brandon's first hand-off

Brandon began his journey before sunrise and was scheduled to arrive at the finish line at around 5-6pm. Knute and Nancy wanted to see him cross the finish line so they picked me up in the afternoon. The finish line was in Golconda, IL. On our way there we stopped at the famous Chocolate Factory. Take a look at their latest treats:

My favorite treats were the Illinois-shaped state chocolates. I went home with some dark chocolate peanut clusters and some chocolate-covered bacon which was the treat of the month. Nancy took home some Snickers fudge that was a-mazing. 

Then we headed to Golconda main street where we waited for the runners to arrive. It was cold!! Brandon was the 8th runner which made the finish even more special for us.

His team joined him for the final 2 blocks of the run. His team, "The Breakfast Club," finished in 10 hours and 45 minutes. Afterwards, they posed for a team pic on the levee.

This race is definitely one of the best attractions in Southern Illinois. So glad the boys got to run it!