Eppie's Great Race was 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 multisp ...

held each summer in the

Sacramento metropolitan area The Greater Sacramento area is 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 sta ...

. It was founded by restaurateur/entrepreneur Eppie G. Johnson in 1974. Participants included 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, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. B ...

and 6.35-mile

paddle A paddle is a handheld tool with an elongated handle and a flat, widened end (the ''blade'') used as a lever to apply force onto the bladed end. It most commonly describes a completely handheld tool used to propel a human-powered watercraft by p ...

held along the scenic

American River Parkway The American River Parkway is a urban regional recreation area that runs along the American River throughout Sacramento County, California, consisting of many smaller parks and boat launching points. It can be accessed by various exits off U.S. R ...

Rancho Cordova Rancho Cordova is a city in Sacramento County, California, United States. Incorporated in 2003, it is part of the Sacramento Metropolitan Area. The population was 79,332 at the 2020 census. In 2010 and 2019, Rancho Cordova received the All-Ame ...

and

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

. The event started at Riverbend Park (formerly Goethe Park), along the American River Bike Trail, and was relayed at the Guy West Bridge at

Sacramento State California State University, Sacramento (CSUS, Sacramento State, or informally Sac State) is a public university in Sacramento, California, United States. Founded in 1947 as Sacramento State College, it is part of the California State Universit ...

. From there, participants either tagged as a relay to a cyclist, or picked up their bike, and headed upstream to Sunrise Blvd, where they either relayed or canoed back to Riverbend Park. The event attracted more than 2000 participants each year with 26 divisions and was the largest paddling event in the continental United States. Participants came 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) raced 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 were presented by Eppie's Great Race Foundation and were 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