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The third-annual Great American Relay that had a presence last year with a handful of locally connected runners participating as part of the 20-year commemoration of 9/11 returns this year with a need for runners to help pass the baton in our neck of the woods.
It's surely not too late to get on board.
In 2021, the relay started on Sept. 11 in Boston and covered 19 states and 415 stages before ending Oct. 19 in Santa Monica, Calif.
Last year it came through the area on a Monday; this year, it's a Sunday.
Another difference is that this year's coast-to-coast running relay goes in the opposite direction. It began yesterday in Santa Monica, Calif., and ends Oct. 16 at the World Trade Center in New York City.
Before it's all said and done, the 36-day relay will include 668 stages, 3,446 miles, 490 firehouses and 17 states and Washington, D.C. The relay makes stops at Shanksville, Pa., the Pentagon Memorial, the Oklahoma City Memorial and other historic locations.
Each stage has one lead runner who carries the baton and up to 10 support runners. Participants also can sign up to run virtually.
For information, visit www.GreatAmericanRelay.com.
Each of the 668 stages has a designated start and end location and time, and most start at a firehouse to show support for firefighters, according to the website. Runners can pick one or more stages to run.
All registered runners get the official Great American Relay running shirt and a 3-foot-by-5-foot American flag and pole. Lead runners also get a Great American Relay baton. All items are mailed to runners prior to the start.
The relay is again this year generating donations for three charities -- the Green Beret Foundation; C.O.P.S., an acronym for Concerns of Police Survivors; and the Firefighter Five Foundation.
Oct. 9 is a Sunday, and the day the relay comes through our area with an Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania presence.
Overall, the relay has stages of it dedicated in memory or in honor of a first responder.
Locally, Stage 514 is dedicated in memory of the late Jefferson County Sheriff Fred Abdalla who served as sheriff for 37 years and was a Vietnam veteran.
That stage from Wintersville United Methodist Church to the North Street Steubenville Fire Department in downtown Steubenville has Jody McCafferty as lead runner with Todd Green as a support runner. The 5.9-mile run with a 10-minute pace has an estimated 4:52 p.m. start time.
The other local stages Oct. 9 are:
Stage 510: Clifford Fire Station (Cadiz) to Hopedale Fire Department; start time, 1:32 p.m.; 7.5 miles; lead runner, Joel Biller; support runners, open.
Stage 511: Hopedale Fire Department to Bloomingdale Fire Department; start time, 2:47 p.m.; 4.4 miles; lead and support runner spots, open.
Stage 512: Bloomingdale Fire Department to Crestview Veterinary Clinic; start time, 3:31 p.m.; 4.3 miles; lead and support runner spots open.
Stage 513: Crestview Veterinary Clinic to Wintersville United Methodist Church; start time, 4:14 p.m.; 3.8 miles; lead and support runner spots open.
Stage 515: Steubenville Fire Department to Colliers Volunteer Fire Department; start time, 5:51 p.m.; lead runner, Tim Newman; support runners, open.
Stage 516: Colliers Volunteer Fire Department to Weirton Fire Department; start time, 6:59 p.m.; 4.4 miles; lead runner, Hannah Kliner, and support runner, Bruce Harris.
Stage 517: Weirton Fire Department to Weirton Fire Department Station 3; start time, 7:43 p.m.; 3 miles; lead and support runner spots, open.
Stage 518: Weirton Fire Department Station 3 to Hanover Fire Department, Pa.; start time, 8:13 p.m.; 3.5 miles; lead runner, James Crow; support runners, open.
The relay originated as an event out of the Boston Buddies Run Club established in 2016 when a small group of runners needed motivation to start training for the Boston Marathon.