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April 11, 2024 Are you ready for it?
We are just about two weeks out from race day and Jeff, Ian, and I just finished recording the pre-race briefing. At least one member of your team must watch it (there is an Easter egg that will let us know if you did). Click here to watch.
Start waves are posted! We used to start everyone all together at 7am and teams had just over 12 hours to complete the course. Now we have a high-tech way of tracking team progress around the lake and start waves span from 5:45am-9am. You might think assignments go slowest to fastest, but not quite. There is a method to our madness of easing congestion on the course. The fastest teams do not get a full 12 hours to make it to the final checkpoint, but the rest of the field gets more than that. You're welcome. Check out your team's custom-calculated start time here.
A few reminders:
- This is a self-supported race that happens in any kind of weather. Rain, snow, full sun, all-of-the-above-in-one-day....the show will go on.
- The only on-course water stop for runners is along the longest leg of the course (Leg 12, Runner 5: Hector Falls to Scale House). But we do have a bag of event-related items for you to pick up, not the least of which are the team's bibs and timing chip.
- Packet pickup is Saturday, April 27th from 11:30a-2:30pm at the FLX Welcome Center. This is a different time than last year, in an attempt to accommodate all of you early birds. If you're one of the people that likes to wait until the last minute to get your goody bag, take note--the last minute comes earlier this year! Only one team member needs to be present.
- We provide real-time team tracking during the event using Jeff's bespoke race tracker software. The link to try it out will be posted in about a week on the same team page where you entered shirt sizes, team pace, race-day vehicle, etc. This is discussed in more detail in the pre-race briefing.
And we are just one week away from the moment I know you're *all* waiting for. On April 19th you'll be able to listen to....us! We're doing a Live Q&A via Zoom to answer your most pressing questions about race logistics. If you've watched the briefing and still have questions, join us April 19th at 7pm (EST) here.
November 14, 2023 Reel Big Fish and Charities!
We hope the subject line didn't get your hopes up about a new musical partnership for the race. Instead, we wanted to alert you that the race did, in fact, *sell out* on the opening day of registration!
To those of you who made it in - hooray! We can't wait to bother you with many, many emails between now and race day! For anyone still hoping for a chance to get into the race, we want to share some options:
First, we encourage you to make new friends (but keep the old) via the Facebook group where you can post your interest in joining a team and those who have signed up without a full roster might ask you to join theirs.
Second, we will open 10 charity slots on Friday 11/17 (at 7am of course!). Charity slots (for the uninitiated) are, as the name suggests, a way to secure a team entry with the proceeds going to your choice of one of our charity partners. This is a great way to get in while giving back! Charity slots are first come-first served and final payment will be due by the end of the year (2023).
Third, you can take your chances with the wait list. If teams notify us that they cannot finalize a team, we will offer entry to the wait list teams--in sequential order--through the end of February. By March 1 the field will be set, with no additional teams added. If you have not already signed up for the wait list and would like to be added, you can do so here.
October 11, 2023 Registration is coming!
Sugar and (pumpkin) spice and everything nice, that's what the Seneca7 relay is made of. We're gearing up for registration and hope you are, too. Here's all you need to know to be ready for the big day:
- Registration opens Tuesday, October 31st at 7am! It's a Halloween treat!
- The-teams-formerly-known-as-bike-teams are receiving priority registration at the 2023 rate as consolation for the elimination of the bike option. Details will come to your team captain in a separate message.
- For registration, only one member of your team needs to sign up and pay the $100 deposit (via credit card). The balance of the registration fee will be due on November 30 and is payable by check or Venmo, so you have time to track down (and shakedown) your teammates!
- While the registration cost is increasing for 2024 (our first increase since 2015!), so is our level of service. Yes, there will be more port-a-potties, yes we will have more fun at the finish, yes there will be swag in that bag!
- We're also purchasing carbon offsets for all teams. If we're going to be motorized-vehicles-only, we want to do our part to mitigate the impact.
- The fastest teams to cross the finish line last April (in each category) will receive priority registration--team captains should check their emails.
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July 1, 2023 Seneca7 2024
First, the good news: The next edition of the Seneca7 (lucky number 13!) will be Sunday, April 28th. We have secured permission from our wine trail partners and planning is now underway.
Now to the not-so-good news. For many years, we have tried to provide a safe, fun, and quirky challenge for all participants. Each year we've received feedback from many sources (our athletes, volunteers, spectators, exchange point partners, public safety officers, etc.) and have made changes to each edition to be responsive and improve the experience from one year to the next.
The decision to bring bike teams into the mix a decade ago was a function of your direct request to add an additional challenge to the day as well as our commitment to reducing the carbon footprint of the event by providing a non-motorized alternative for getting teams around the lake. For many years we've sustained this option with several variations to respond to the needs of all involved.
In 2022, the challenges of biking the Seneca7 were becoming difficult to manage. For this year's race (2023) we instituted the "Bike Czar" in the hopes of mitigating some of the ongoing issues. Although we do believe the addition of the czar (as well as the efforts of the bike teams themselves) improved the experience, it was not enough. Runners, spectators, and officials all provided feedback that indicate serious concerns about the ability for motorized and non-motorized teams to coexist on the course. Some of the bike teams themselves shared safety concerns.
As race directors we cannot ignore clearly expressed warnings from law enforcement, volunteers, and participants about safety hazards. While it pains us to do this and we know it will be a great disappointment to many of you, we will not be offering a bike option in future editions of the Seneca7.