Mighty Missouri Relay - 2024

Click here for times & results

Event Recap:

Thank you to everyone who came out yesterday for the Mighty Missouri Relay - 5k, 10k, Half, Marathon 45 miles+ (Solo or Relay)!

Over 160 brave souls were welcomed with rain and cold on the morning of the 2nd Mighty Missouri Relay…perfect conditions for an epic adventure to challenge people physically and mentally!

The event kicked off with a garbage bonfire and a pre-run group hangout in the barn. Roby Farm Road was packed with runners of all ages and from multiple states running different distances. The 10k was cursed/blessed with an bonus mile of course down Sinking Creek Rd, proving that they are ready for the half marathon course in 2025! 

While the short course runners crossed the finish line, the half marathon runners then headed down the hill into Rocheport where they experienced a great stretch of the Katy Trail and one of the finest of the hardcore switch back trails back up to the Blufftop Winery before heading to the finish.

Those on the marathon and ultra distance and relays were just getting warmed up with the epic gravel road course ahead. The winding, rolling and scenic roads often turned to mud as the rain continued to follow the runners throughout the morning and early afternoon. Confusion struck at the fork in the road where the marathon runners and long distance runners were meant spit in different directions. The multiple signs directing the relay and 45 mile runners to the right were removed from the course. Perhaps someone who lived down that stretch of road leading into New Franklin did not want runners heading down their section of country roads? Unfortunately many of the long distance runners turned left instead of right cutting a few miles from their long course challenge. Perhaps it was better to have a short course than one that headed out endlessly into the country?

We loved watching runners cross over the Missouri River bridge into Boonville! What an accomplishment! We also enjoyed interacting with the relay teams on the course and seeing how they strategized the different handoffs on the course. What an epic adventure to share with your running friends on a running/road trip between Rocheport and Boonville and back!

We are proud of all participants who braved the elements no matter the distance and how you finished (or didn’t make it to the end). It takes a special hard core person to spend your Saturday at the Mighty Missouri Relay!

Bonus report:

As is tradition, we had a lost animal join the race! Last year, a runner found a tiny stray kitten being tossed around by vehicles on the highway. He picked him up and ran with him until he found a relay team willing to hold him, and they passed him off to us at Franklin. We named him Frankie Relay, and today he lives a life of luxury with our crew member Leah’s sister-in-laws family.

This year, a lost golden retriever came all the way across the finish line! He decided that running the Mighty Missouri Relay marathon course was the best way to celebrate his recent surgery (he had a shaved spot on his arm from an IV and looked freshly neutered) so we knew someone was missing this sweet guy. We looked for his people briefly but ultimately called animal control since we didn't know where he came from.

On his arrival at the shelter, he was recognized and taken to meet with his owners! Apparently they'd been looking everywhere for him and had also contacted the shelter. We're so happy we could assist and thanks so much to Central Missouri Humane Society and everyone involved in getting this guy back home!


Special shout outs:

Mad props to Kim Tew who started on the marathon route but ended up running over 30 miles! What a champion!! We know that there were others who ran longer than their original course distance and we salute you all!

Thank you to all the crew members, volunteers and people behind the scene that helped bring the Mighty Missouri Relay to life again this year!

Mighty Missouri Relay - 2023

Now that was a rural adventure! Major kudos to everyone who came out and and joined us on the first time! Thank you Notley Hawkins for coming out and taking photos of the event this year! Great stuff! EVENT RECAP is posted below the photo gallery and race results…

2023 RACE RESULTS

We are chip timing all the different distances this year! Check the link below during the event or following the event to see all the official race results!

MMR 2023 - Click here for race results


Timing provided by Loki Timing

Loki Timing is providing timing services to mountain bike and endurance races in Missouri and surrounding regions. We have extensive experience hand timing races since 2007, and now offer chip timing through partnerships with two systems that are available to use.

Loki Timing has been set up to provide affordable, simple timing solutions to grassroots racing throughout Missouri and will continue to provide this valuable resource to race directors by request.

Interested? Contact Loki Timing at info@lokitiming.com or via Facebook

Reflections on the Mighty Missouri Relay -


The dust has finally settled on those long gravel roads and the inaugural Mighty Missouri Relay is now in the history books. 

Leading up to the start of the event was a major hustle. With the Pedaler’s Jamboree just two weeks prior to the run there was very little time to dive deep into the final steps of how to pull off this overly ambitious short distance to endurance run. A couple days were set aside to build course signs in the garage with my son Jack. The original course route was challenged when we were told that the bridge at the start and finish of the event was scheduled to be closed the day before the run! With a little over a week before the event a new route was created using new roads and sections of the Katy Trail. That route was then scrapped when the bridge closure was postponed with just a few days before the run! The final route version 3.0 was mashed up with some manic updates to runners.  During the final course setup the night before and morning of the event the course was finally finished with a 4:30 am detour in Franklin, MO (2 hours before runners started to arrive).  With over 45 miles of course ready for action it was time to get this party started! 


Hosting a long distance endurance run in early June starting at 8 am in the middle of Missouri is definitely not ideal! With a busy life schedule it was the only choice if the event was going to happen this year. Luckily the heat wave broke a couple days before the event arrived and we were welcomed with the most perfect cool and cloudy day!  

The first year of any event can be a wild and challenging experience. A little raw and chaotic at best. I wasn’t sure if anybody was going to sign up for a while there. The hard core crew brought it come game day with 127 runners.  

  • 5k = 11

  • 10k = 22

  • Half = 30 

  • Marathon = 24

  • 45 solo = 3 

  • 7 Relay Teams:  4 members = 2     5 members = 2    6 members = 3

The 5k and 10k runners were treated to a gravel road paradise on Roby Farm and Sinking Creek Road. 

The half marathon course added a rolling paved road down to Rocheport, some scenic river views on the Katy Trail and a hill climb back to the finish.

Oh yeah…that hill! Anyone who ran down the hill towards Rocheport had to come back up the Blufftops in Rocheport wine trail! It’s a beast! A twisted, steep, rough gravel trail that takes you from the bottoms up to the top! It’s awesome. I am sure it will not soon be forgotten.

The marathon and 45 mile route detoured out of Rocheport and traveled to New Franklin on amazing rolling gravel roads surrounding the Davisdale Conservation Area. Gorgeous but long.  The marathon route then jumped back on the trail towards Rocheport while the 45 mile route looped around to Kemper Park in Boonville through downtown and back on the trail to meet up with the shared route back to the finish! 

We loved seeing the relay teams out on the course and having a fun social time while waiting for their teammates to run up and pass along the slap bracelet! We encourage you to try out the relay option next year! Partner up with other runners from this year or recruit some friends to join! The more relay teams the more fun the long course will be! 

We were ecstatic to see everyone find their way back to the finish line successfully. Oh, there were a few wrong turns here and there but eventually everyone made it back!  There were plenty of drinks, donuts and high fives waiting at the barn for finishers! All three 45 mile solo runners successfully finished the course and all looked fantastic after running all that distance! 

Congrats to Diana Giacalone for being the first person to complete the Mighty Missouri Relay 45 mile distance!  Congrats to Janthony and Kevin for also finishing the long course!

Also congrats to all participants who completed any and all of the distances! We applaud athletes of all abilities and speeds. Off Track Events is focused on making it all about your personal challenges and also about the enjoyment of the experience! Y’all did awesome out there and we appreciate you coming out and sharing the adventure with us!

We finally wanted to give a big shout out to sponsors this year! World Finance for Gatorade donations, Shelter Insurance for sign printing, Well Being for NA Beer and 660 IV Health for coming out and joining us at the event. Finally the event could not have been a fun and safe success without the hard work of our crew and volunteers! They always excel in the challenges of crazy fun! 


Cheers to everyone who was involved this year! We are excited to see what becomes of this run and how we can make it even better. Your feedback is more than appreciated! If you have a few minutes please let us know how we can make it more badass in the future. Here is a link to our event feedback form.

Below are fun stories from the event and quotes from participants! Feel free to share anything (good or bad about the event) and we will post it to the history archives!


Catch you on the next adventure!

  • Mike Denehy - Chaos Creator - Mighty Missouri Relay 

The Story of Franklin Relay 

Frankie the kitten was found by the marathoner Colin Nitroy who went *slightly* off course, and was attempting to find his way back. Frankie was on the road, and several cars drove over him, causing him to flip and roll and get some road rash, but luckily he avoided the tires. Our runner scooped him up, and ran with him in his hat for three miles. Then he was handed off to the relay team Under Trained and Over Confident, who kept him at New Franklin until the crew members Leah and Sarah came and brought him back to the race barn.  Leah’s husband then brought him home where they are fostering him until he finds a home! If you are looking for the ultimate keepsake from this year’s run, please let us know!

Current update on Franklin Relay (6/12/23)

“The kitty is good! He's eating and doing all the normal healthy things. We bathed him and treated his scrapes and has a clean bill of health from the vet. He has been dewormed, is 5-6 weeks old and loves dogs!  We're calling him Franklin Relay since we picked him up in Franklin from a relay team. And he'll be up for adoption!”

A couple memories from solo runner Diana Giacalone:

1.  I wanted to thank the relay team of women I talked to at mile 22 and gave me a bag of pickles and a pbj sandwich!  I would not have made it without those extra snacks!!

2.  Thank you to the crew for the runner behind me for assuring me I was going the correct direction!

MORE STORIES WILL BE POSTED SOON - PLEASE SEND US YOUR STORIES AND WE WILL ADD TO THE ARCHIVE! 

FEEDBACK FROM RUNNERS:

“Thanks for a great running (1/2 marathon) event this beautiful Saturday morning. Registration was simple, emails and updates were forthright & informative, course layouts were top notch, and of course the scenery all along the courses was absolutely beautiful. And in addition, the various running surfaces kept things interesting. As an inaugural event, this was very good in organization & follow through. I look forward to participating in this next year. I just want to say a big ‘Thank you’ to you and your entire team for an outstanding running event, of which is no small feat, especially for an inaugural event. I’ve been running for 25+ years and the organization & carrying out of all that needs to be done was first rate.

Thanks again for an enjoyable run this morning,
Rusty Moore”