How to Hold Relay Races
Runners use teamwork to win a race in this great outdoor party game.
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Instructions
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Plan a relay race: Two or more teams race against each other, and different runners cover different sections of the course.
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Decide how many people you would like to have per team. Four is a good number.
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Divide your group into teams with the same number of runners on each team.
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Designate how long the race will be.
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Mark a starting line and finish line for your race.
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Mark the spots along the race area where different runners are to take over (transfer locations).
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Mark all of these areas with orange cones, chalk or even piles of stones.
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Position one runner from each team at the starting line and at each transfer location.
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Give each of the runners at the starting line a baton or stick to pass from runner to runner at each transfer location.
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Explain to everyone that the runners at the transfer locations must not go behind the transfer line.
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Tell all runners that they must wait for the runner behind them to cross the line and pass the baton before taking off to the next transfer location and passing the baton to the next runner.
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Call, "On your mark, get set, go!"
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Watch the first set of runners dash to the first transfer location.
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Observe the transfer of the batons at the transfer stations.
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Make sure the transfer runners stay in place until the batons are passed.
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See which runner crosses the finish line first. That runner's team is the winner.
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Tips & Warnings
You can play this game at family reunions or church picnics.
Have different races for different age groups - or, if your teams are of mixed ages, have people of the same age group run the same section of the race against each other.
In an area with limited space, have the first set of runners race to a specific point, turn around, and race back to the starting line, where they pass the batons to the next set of runners.
