Ready for Stones River Relay?

Getting in shape? Join the Stones River Relay to check your conditioning on all or part of the 22-mile Stones River Relay on Saturday, April 5.

The race is broken into three segments: a 4.5-mile run, an 8.5-mile bike ride, and a 9-mile paddle (all downhill!). Entrants can participate in one or all three legs of the relay. For more details about the race, visit stonesriverrelay.com.

Check-in on event day will be 8-8:30 a.m. at the Arts Center of Cannon County. Boats will be inventoried there; partici-pants and their bicycles will be shuttled to the Short Mountain School, where bikes will be inventoried; runners will then be driven to the top of Short Mountain to the Relay starting point.

The run-the first leg of the Relay-will begin at 9:30 a.m. Entrants will switch to bikes at the Short Mountain School and will switch to canoes or kayaks at the Arts Center. At that location the river is deep and wide enough to accommodate a flotilla of paddlers who will work their way down-stream, ultimately exiting the river at the newly restored Readyville Mill.

This is a fun, family event, but some people do enter competitively. Both child-ren and adults are encouraged to register. Children 6-12 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or designated guardian. No children under 6 may enter. Register http://www.active.com/woodbury-tn/triathlon/races/stones-river-relay-race-to-the-mill-2014

A beautiful trophy designed by William Kooeinga will be awarded to the first individual participant to complete all three legs of the course. We are excited to announce that this year Jackson Kayak, located in Sparta, has donated a kayak to the Stones River Watershed Association to be raffled off to Relay entrants.

Proceeds from the event will be shared by the host sites and Stones River Watershed Association to be reinvested in water-focused environmental projects. SRWA is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit all-volunteer organization. The mission of SRWA is to protect, preserve, enhance, and restore the natural resources within the Stones River Watershed.

The race course generally follows the path of the East Fork of the Stones River. The East Fork begins in Cannon County, flows west and north, and empties into Percy Priest Reservoir near Nashville. The East Fork begins as a tiny spring coming forth from a stone outcropping, slowly growing as it winds its way through downtown Woodbury and then onward through Rutherford and Wilson counties.

Please contact us at relay-info@stonesriverrelay.com, or contact Faith Bogle at (615) 684-4511 if you have questions about registering for the event or if you would like to volunteer to staff the Relay on Saturday, April 5, 2014.