The Cabot Trail Relay Race is an annual 276.33 km (171.70 mi)

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around

Cape Breton Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18. ...

Cabot Trail The Cabot Trail is a scenic highway on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a loop around the northern tip of the island, passing along and through the Cape Breton Highlands and the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. It is named ...

. The race takes place over 24 hours in 17 stages and features up to 70 teams and 1,200 runners. The race begins and ends in

Baddeck, Nova Scotia Baddeck () is a village in northeastern Nova Scotia, Canada. It is situated in the centre of Cape Breton, approximately 6 km east of where the Baddeck River empties into Bras d'Or Lake. Local governance is provided by the rural municipality ...

. The annual event began in 1988, when just 6 teams participated. Since its founding, over 27,000 runners have participated in the event.

Format

The race takes place over approximately 24 hours, beginning on a Saturday morning and continuing to Sunday morning. The race is divided into 17 stages which are unequal both in distance and difficulty. Typically each leg is run by a different runner, but runners can run multiple legs. In 2010 ultramarathoner Mark Campbell attempted to run the entire relay solo, but fell ill and could not complete it. The race begins at the Gaelic College monument outside of Baddeck and completes the Cabot Trail in a counter-clockwise direction, ending in front of the Baddeck Court House. Although some sections of the race are relatively flat, others ascend mountains including

Cape Smokey Ingonish is a popular tourist destination in Victoria County, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. The regional economy is tied to fishing and tourism. Tourist facilities include Cape Breton Highlands National Park, the Keltic Lodge, a dow ...

, North Mountain, and MacKenzie Mountain—climbing as high as 460 meters. Leg 9 of the race, which runs over North Mountain, is generally considered the most difficult leg of the race.

Race Map

Full Race Map
Cabot trail relay race 03

Entry lottery

The race is limited to just 70 teams. 45 teams are drawn from a hat of registered entrants. Another 25 teams are selected by members of the tech crew and organizing committee. The remaining teams are placed on a wait list. A list of accepted teams is posted in January of the year of the race. Cabot_trail_relay_race_01

Requirements

Runners must be 18 years of age to participate in the race. Additionally, runners must be able to run a minimum

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of 9:30 per mile. Runners are expected to finish each leg within the time allotted by this pace. Runners who fail to finish a leg within the allotted time are assigned the time of the slowest runner to complete the leg, plus 5 minutes.

Course records

Male

Female

Mixed

Leg records

Male

The top male record holder is Dan Vassallo who holds six leg records.

Female

Sheri Piers is the top female recor holder, holding five leg records (she also has the fastest time run on the longer course used for leg 17 in 2012 and 2013). Cabot trail relay race 02

References

;Notes ;Citations

External links

Official Site
{{Baddeck Long-distance relay races Cape Breton Island Sport in Nova Scotia