Tomorrow the city of Jefferson will be inundated with hundreds of people for an annual race.

Market to Market Relay Iowa is celebrating its 10th anniversary with up to seven person teams that run close to 80 miles, most on the Raccoon River Valley Trail, from downtown Jefferson to downtown Des Moines. Ben Cohoon is Course Director with Pink Gorilla Events and is excited to continue this unique relay race that will involve between 1,500 to 2,000 people as he explains why they chose Jefferson as the starting point a decade ago.

“When we got to Jefferson, we were just like, ‘This town is great. We can start right out here by the (Greene County) courthouse and the bell tower.’ And it just felt really unique and it’s right where the (Raccoon River Valley) trail ended and the distance was perfect to get to downtown Des Moines. It just kind of worked out perfectly.”  

Cohoon points out one of the newest changes is the earlier start time with the first wave going off at 5am tomorrow morning and the final leg around 8:30, with all equipment packed up out of Jefferson by 9am. He talks about his favorite parts of Market to Market Relay Iowa.

“I really enjoy watching people achieve something and have fun with their friends. So starting this race a long time ago that was the goal to keep people active but also just have a memorable day where you got to hang out with your friends and family members for an entire day.”  

Heads up for motorists, there will be temporary road closures along Lincoln Way from the downtown square to the Raccoon River Valley Trailhead near the Milwaukee Depot until 8:30am tomorrow morning.