This year’s SLO24 will also host the first 24-hour relay in the world under the auspices of the IAU.
The IAU 24-Hour Relay concept started during the pandemic and is their new initiative. This is another project that reflects the mission of the IAU – to promote ultrarunning on a global scale.
There will be a 3-year trial period when they will present and hold their first events. In the same way, they introduced the 50 km Trophy, which finally became an IAU World Championship event. It will begin in 2023 and run sequentially until 2025, when they will assess and take further steps. The concept is that at least 25 relay teams will participate in each event. The team will have 4 athletes who will each run for 6 hours to complete the 24 hour event.
The goals of the events are:
- Develop non-marathon running for a larger number of runners.
- To encourage camaraderie between runners, but at the same time maintain a level of competition between them.
- To promote events that are fully inclusive and increase the visibility of ultrarunning around the world.
