Eppie's Great Race is a

multisport race A multisport competition is a family of athletic competitions in which athletes race in a continuous series of stages or "legs", and rapidly switch from one athletic discipline to another in order to achieve the best overall time. Most multispo ...

held each summer in the

Sacramento metropolitan area The Greater Sacramento area refers to a metropolitan region in Northern California comprising either the U.S. Census Bureau defined Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade metropolitan statistical area or the larger Sacramento–Roseville combined ...

. It was founded by restaurateur/entrepreneur Eppie G. Johnson in 1974. Participants include elite athletes, fitness enthusiasts, average runners, and families who complete the race within 1.5 to 4.5 hours. Also known as "The Great Race", "The World's Oldest Triathlon" and the "No-Swim Triathlon", it features a 5.82-mile

run Run(s) or RUN may refer to: Places * Run (island), one of the Banda Islands in Indonesia * Run (stream), a stream in the Dutch province of North Brabant People * Run (rapper), Joseph Simmons, now known as "Reverend Run", from the hip-hop group ...

, 12.5-mile

bike A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

and 6.35-mile paddle held along the scenic

American River Parkway The American River Parkway is a parkway that runs along the American River throughout Sacramento County, California and consists of many smaller parks and boat launching points. It can be accessed by various exits off U.S. Route 50 in Sacramento C ...

Rancho Cordova Rancho Cordova is a city in Sacramento County, California, United States which was incorporated in 2003. It is part of the Sacramento Metropolitan Area. The population was 64,776 at the 2010 census. In 2010 and 2019, Rancho Cordova was named ...

and

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

. The event attracts more than 2000 participants each year with 26 divisions and is the largest paddling event in the continental United States. Participants come from all over the world, with the farthest competitor coming from Hong Kong in 2011. Ten days before the race, "Great Team Day" establishes a timing for running, biking, and kayaking portions of the race. An Ironwoman, Ironman, and Team (consisting of local celebrities and corporate sponsors volunteers) race along the American River Parkway to establish the time to beat. On race day, participants beating these Great Team times win a complimentary breakfast at a local restaurant, not to mention the bragging rights to say "I beat the Great Team Time." In 2005, a concurrently running and cycling Kid's Duathlon put on by Eppie's Great Race was introduced to area youth. Both events are presented by Eppie's Great Race Foundation and are the primary beneficiary to Sacramento County Therapeutic Recreational Services, which is part of the County Parks System, assisting with the disabled community in recreational services. To date, Eppie's Great Race Foundation has donated more than $1 million to this cause. Eppie's Great Race celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2013. The 2014 Great Race was the first without founder Eppie Johnson, who died in September 2013. The 2018 Great Race was the last one.

References

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External links

* http://www.eppiesgreatrace.org/ * https://web.archive.org/web/20111021142643/http://www.sacbee.com/2011/07/23/3789426/eppies-great-race-underway-along.html * https://web.archive.org/web/20120720090123/http://sacramentopress.com/headline/63510/New_Look_for_Worlds_Oldest_Triathlon_Eppies_Great_Race * http://www.mtdemocrat.com/sports/donene-vukovich-wins-eppies-ironwoman-race/ * http://benicia.patch.com/articles/video-local-ironman-shares-triathlon-experience#video-7151074 * https://web.archive.org/web/20111021144314/http://www.sacbee.com/2011/07/24/3790360/eppies-great-race-volunteers-corral.html * https://web.archive.org/web/20111021142643/http://www.sacbee.com/2011/07/23/3789426/eppies-great-race-underway-along.html * https://web.archive.org/web/20120412095048/http://www.sacbee.com/2011/07/23/3789979/snapshots-eppies-great-race-july.html * https://web.archive.org/web/20120411164504/http://www.news10.net/news/article/146699/2/Eppies-Great-Race-contestants-prep-for-Saturday * https://web.archive.org/web/20111012225940/http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/53609/Eppies_Great_Race_A_race_with_something_for_everyone * https://web.archive.org/web/20120412101848/http://www.sacbee.com/2011/07/21/3782648/eppies-champ-nicole-young-overcomes.html * https://web.archive.org/web/20120412101049/http://www.sacbee.com/2011/07/18/3777298/eppies-great-race-looking-for.html * http://www.mtdemocrat.com/sports/ironwoman-champ-will-race-again/ * https://archive.today/20130222065038/http://www.sacramentotoday.net/news/templates/community.asp?articleid=1790&zoneid=1 * http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=145205 Triathlon competitions Recurring sporting events established in 1974 Annual sporting events in the United States Sports in Sacramento County, California Triathlon in the United States