Reunited with the Flock! Market-to-Market 2026 Recap

Oops, we did it again!

The date was Saturday May 9th. There were seven of us, dressed in seven variations of pink gear. There was a 72-mile course to run. And we had the entire day to do so.  

Yes, it was time to return to the Market-to-Market Relay!

A few weeks ago, the Grinnell Girls Gone Running team reunited for their 13th year of running the Market to Market Relay Iowa. While this was only my fifth time running with this team, I had run the M2M several times with a team from my place of work (in 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2019). M2M had to go virtual in 2020 and 2021 (#Covid). In 2022, as M2M returned with all its glory and fanfare, my dear friend, Barb, invited me to join this team. Through the years, we’ve had to swap a few runners around, due to scheduling conflicts and/or injury (in 2023, 2024, and 2025), and this year was no exception, LOL. Nonetheless, I was excited to reunite with the gals on GGGR team!

The morning began with a 3:45AM wake-up (for me), followed by a 4:45AM pick-up by the team. We arrived in Jefferson at 6:00, for our team’s 6:30 wave start. Whew!

The bell tower is the town’s big landmark on the town square, right near the start line

Ready to go, amidst the sunrise…Lauren, Barb, Mary, myself, Richelle, Rebecca, and Carol

Mary was our team’s first runner. We all gathered (among the other teams) to give all the first leg runners an enthusiastic send-off. Shortly thereafter, we piled into the van to make our way to the first exchange point of the day, at Winkelman’s Switch.

The Relay, now in its 14th year, is similar to a Ragnar Relay, but on a smaller scale. This year’s  route was approximately 72 miles. Teams can have between six and eight runners. The teams are assigned to various waves, and their start times are based upon estimated finish times. The runners are expected to run in an agreed upon sequence, and the 17 legs vary in distance (approximately 2.5 - 6.5 miles).

I was the seventh runner, meaning I was the last in sequence. My first leg wouldn’t be until mid-late morning, giving me plenty of time to eat, hydrate, and (supposedly, LOL) stretch and warm-up prior to running.

Throughout the first part of the morning, all went well. Everyone was equally excited, enthusiastic and anger to run. In other words, the runs were going well, and our run times were clocking faster than expected. 

Ready to run!

It wasn’t until 10:00 when my turn came to hit the trail. I had run this particular leg several years ago, and remembered it as being quite scenic, but also pretty much a gradual incline for nearly six miles. The temps were warm, and it was sunny, but the bulk of this part of the trail had shade cover. I decided to bring along my water bottle, and am glad I did so. Overall, I felt really good running. The constant incline was a challenge (as it had been the previous time I’d run it), but all went well.  

As I was nearing the exchange point, in Linden, I spotted Mary up ahead, waiting for me to pass her the slap bracelet (the “relay baton). Disclaimer…there was a 10K Garmin badge up for grabs, so I ran a short “bonus” distance to get to the 10K distance. 

Handing-off to Mary

Also, as has been my own personal long-standing tradition, I had to hit the nearby vintage slide in the city park. This is something I’ve done every year I’ve run the M2M, just saying.

Although I had been snacking periodically prior to running, I was famished when I finished those 6.2 miles. I had also burned through all my water, so I wasted no time in grabbing more water as our van pulled away to the next exchange point. 

Despite there being nonstop action in getting to all of the exchange points in a timely fashion, there’s also plenty of fun along the way. We all take turns driving the van (and it's a BIG van), so it gets a little tricky parking (and getting back out). Even though we have detailed directions to each of the exchange points, not all f the roads are clearly marked…resulting in several accidental u-turns. 

The early afternoon temps grew chilly for a short while, due to the wind. Also, the temporary cloud clover gave way to a few light sprinkles. 

Thankfully, by the time my second leg came up, the clouds had moved on and the sunshine had returned. We all know I much prefer warm weather, over cold conditions, so I was totally good with the return of the seasonal weather.  

It was just before 4:00PM when Barb handed me the bracelet and I headed out. This particular leg was MUCH easier, and quite a bit shorter, than my first one. The elevation was pretty level, but had a gradual decline throughout the 3-ish miles, and the trail was interesting with several curves. My splits were very consistent as well, making for a strong run!

Upon handing the bracelet back to Mary, I was finished for the day (other than the final team rally to the finish line). I swapped-out my icky (sweat-laden) tank top for the cute flamingo-logo’d team shirt (after a quick wipe-down (the magic of diaper wipes, LOL). 

My final hand-off to Mary

After both of my runs, I had just over 9.3 miles of running.for the day. Who knows how much actual walking I did? There were a lot of steps walked back and forth, to and from the van, at all the exchange points. My Garmin showed a total of 29,703 steps at the end of the day!

My Garmin stats, just after finishing my last run…not including the three remaining exchange points walking or finish line team rally

The last couple hours went fast. Before we knew it, we were awaiting Lauren’s arrival from the final leg of the course, so we all could join her and run, as a team, to the finish line.

Just after the finish line…Rebecca, Richelle, myself, Carol, Mary, Lauren, and barb

Next, we had to turn in our team’s time card. We’d been each runner’s time and pace throughout the day.

Then, the official team pic…

…and let’s not forget the post-relay party!

The swag is always pretty sweet! This year’s medal was huge, and is actually a bottle-opener. 

The shirt is nice. I’m glad it’s tech fabric, and I love the artwork (and it matches the medal).

 As l have said in all of my previous M2M recaps, this event is such a fun experience! The camaraderie among all the teams is great. The organizers have every last detail covered. And, best of all, our flock “flocking” rocks. 

A few things to note:

***While there are numerous volunteers (and law enforcement personnel) monitoring the traffic, the relay course is an open course...so the runners really have to pay attention to signage when the route enters the final legs in Des Moines (there's a lot of pedestrian traffic, non-relay runners, and cyclists are in abundance).

***Each team is self-supported...we have to provide our own food, fuel and drink for the entire day

***This does make for a long day. We had a 6:30 wave start, but some teams started as early as 5:30 (based on projected finish times, etc.).

So, that’s the 2026 M2M recap. A great day with a great team. We’re all excited for 2027!

Have you ever done a relay of this caliber? If not, would you? 

I’m linking this with Jenny and Jenn for the TuesdayTopics Linkup. 

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