The Inaugural Ville to Ville Craft Brew Relay
ASHEVILLE KICKS OFF INAUGURAL CRAFT BREW RELAY.
Asheville, NC - April 2018 – Asheville is set to serve as the destination for an exciting new adventure race. The Ville to Ville Craft Brew Relay will take place on April 14, 2018, with teams of runners covering 73 miles of scenic byways between Asheville, NC, and Greenville, SC.
This unique relay is designed to celebrate the region’s outstanding craft beer
tradition and its majestic natural beauty. "Our goal," states director Zack Hall, “is to deliver a top-notch event people can do with their friends, that matches the breathtaking beauty of this region.”
Fifteen hundred runners and beer enthusiasts from 35 states, D.C, and Canada will start their day-long journey at the historic Highland Brewing Company, Asheville’s first brewery. Teams of six runners will each run two legs ranging from 3.5 to nearly 10 miles along the course. Every team will utilize a support vehicle along the 73-mile course, transporting runners from one designated transition area to the next. The first leg will run from Highland Brewing Company to the popular Mountains to Sea Trail and the Blue Ridge Parkway before heading south. Stops along the course include Fletcher, Hendersonville, East Flat Rock and Travelers Rest, SC as runner’s head towards a festive finish line celebration in Downtown Greenville, SC.
“We are excited to be one of the host cities for this new event which will bring in athletes from across the country,” said Demp Bradford, Executive Director of the Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission. "You can never totally quantify the impact of an event, but we find that new sporting events like this expose individuals to our community and their experiences in Asheville encourage them to return to enjoy the area again. We welcome all of the runners and hope that they have a great experience and return for next year’s event,” he added.
Interest in the event has been high since it was announced, as the race filled its available 250 team slots less than three days after opening registration in March of 2017. Similar relay races exist across the nation; however, very few have a focus on craft beer. "Frankly, we were blown away by the overwhelming response," said Hall.
Although the race is sold out, the welcome reception at Highland Brewing Company is open to the public and will feature food trucks, live music, and of course lots of local craft beer. Welcome festivities run from 4 pm to 8 pm on Friday, April 13th. Registration for the 2019 event begins on April 16th with a limited number of 350 teams. More information about the relay can be found at www.villetovillerelay.com.