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Tom's Run Relay http://tomsrunrelay.org/ is an annual 200-mile running and biking relay along the (C & O Canal ) Towpath from Cumberland, MD to its terminus in Georgetown, Washington, DC. Runners continue through Washington, DC and cross the 14th Street Bridge to access the (Mount Vernon Trail ). Runners continue along the Mount Vernon Trail through Old Town Alexandria, VA to the finish at Fort Hunt Park. Tom's Run Relay is the oldest overnight relay in the Washington, DC area.〔Hallett, Vicki. ("Not up for a marathon? Try a relay race." ), ''The Washington Post'', Washington, DC, 13 February 2012. Retrieved on 6 March 2012.〕 Runners start after midnight and must be accompanied at all times by a bicycle escort.〔Hill, Lanessa. ("Team Depends on Each Other in 200 Mile Relay" ), ''The Standard'', Fort Detrick, MD, 24 May 2011. Retrieved on 6 March 2012.〕 Tom's Run Relay is run in honor of U.S. Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer 4 Tom Brooks who was diagnosed with and later died from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. CWO4 Brooks was a typical Washington DC commuter. He was known for his friendliness, outgoing personality, and for persuading less active co-workers to get up and get moving. Tom's outlook on life included the belief that we are all happier if we are active and in each other's company. Tom is said to have organized a weekend bike ride down the C&O Canal Towpath for a group of friends and it turned into a huge success. The next year, when Tom was diagnosed with ALS, his friends decided to create the Tom's Run tradition as a way of saying, "Thank you" to Tom.〔Montgomery, David. "In the Long Run", ''The Washington Post'', Washington, DC, 1 June 2009.〕〔Kruska, Ed. "The Web Master", ''U.S. Coast Guard Reservist'', Washington, DC, August 1999.〕 Tom's Run Relay Rules Tom's Run Relay has grown from a weekend excursion among friends to an event with over 30 teams and 500 participants. Part of the appeal is that there are very few rules and no support along the course. Teams are expected to be completely self-sufficient and the team members must work together to decide what time to start so they reach the finish at the same time as the other teams on the second day. The traditional finish time is 11:00 AM. While a record of times is kept, it is rather informal and based on the reports of the team leaders instead of staging observers at the start. Teams that finish before 11:00 AM have their times rounded up. This combination of each team determining its own start time and rounding up finish times to 11:00 AM can make the strategy for teams that wish to compete against each other very intriguing. There are no rules about the number of persons on a team. They typical team is about 15 persons; but some teams have been as large as 30 and 3 people have run the entire course by themselves (Rochelle Frazeur (2), Rick Myers (1), and Antoinette Landragin (1)). Each team must have at least one runner and one escort biker on the course at all times. The course includes over 30 identified transition areas for changing runners and bikers, but these are not mandatory. The runner and biker can also swap places at any time. Some teams choose to have several bikers and a runner who all rotate biking and running for long stretches of the course so that their teammates can rest. Some teams stay together and regroup after each leg. This absence of rules is intentional to promote team planning and cooperation. Thus, a successful Tom's Run Relay does not depend entirely on speed, but on planning for the capabilities of each team member and then implementing the plan. Tom's Run Relay is an event for everyone and it is also very typical for teams to cheer each other when they meet along the course. ==References== 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Tom's Run Relay」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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