Survive the Night Relays
Athlete Guide
Welcome and Message from your Race Directors
Thank you for participating in the 11th Survive the Night Relays and joining us for a hot night in the middle of July. The purpose of this race is to help fundraise for cancer support services, but also to encourage everyone of all ages and abilities to pursue a healthy lifestyle. All of the proceeds from this year's race will once again come right back to providing gas cards, meal cards, and hotel rooms for cancer patients. In addition, we are thankful that you have decided to come be a part of our race and hopefully it will leave a meaningful impact on your approach to your lifestyle. For 2026, we have unfortunately had to make the decision to focus solely on running relays, but we are so thankful you have chosen to continue participating in our event. More importantly, we hope you will have one memorable night!
-Jonathan and Bob
Schedule of Events
Saturday, July 19, 2026
1:00-7:00 PM - Registration and Packet Pickup
(Green Lot, Kroger Field)
Only one team member required to pick-up Team Packet.
6:30 PM - Pre-Race Meeting
7:30 PM - Cancer Survivors Walk
(Green Lot, Kroger Field)
7:30 PM - Start of the Marathon and Ultra Marathon Relays (Green Lot, Kroger Field)
Sunday, July 19, 2026
7:30 AM - Marathon and Ultra Award Ceremony
8:00 AM - Conclusion of the Survive the Night Relays
This race would not be possible this year without our Presenting Sponsor:
Registration and Packet Pickup
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Registration and Packet Pickup will begin at 1:00PM on Saturday, July 18th and will run until 7:00PM.
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Participants of the Cancer Survivors Walk will have a separate registration pickup under the large white tent closest to the Bluegrass Community and Technical College side of the Green Lot.
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The location for athletes competing in the Marathon and Ultra Run will be located in the Green Lot at Kroger Field near Gate 3 of the stadium. Look for the RED registration flag.
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We recommend all teams pickup their team packet before 6:00 PM in order to be able to attend the Pre-Race athlete meeting.
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We like to keep things efficient, so Team bags are prepacked with each entire team's Race swag, bib numbers, etc.
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Only one person from each team (preferably the team captain) needs to come to the packet pick-up table on race day
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If you registered prior to the deadline for T-shirt orders, which was June 31st, then we will have your requested T-shirt size included in the pre-race pack.
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If you registered after the deadline for T-shirt orders, which was on/after June 31st, we will have a shirt for you. We try every year to guess the remaining shirt sizes with a reasonable count, but the estimates are never the same from year to year. We will give out sizes as requested based on availability, but we may not be able to guarantee your preferred shirt size.
Volunteer Registration
If you have registered as a volunteer, simply go to the same registration tent 10-15 min before your volunteer time period. You will be asked to sign a waiver, and offered a Volunteer shirt. And thank you for volunteering.
Note Regarding Safety
We will have several requirements, recommendations, and/or modifications to this year's races that will make this year's race safe for everyone involved:
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This is a race that takes place at nighttime, so there are inherent risks of running in the dark,
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We will have light towers and quite a bit of supplemental lighting, but all runners should have either a headlamp or lighted vest during the run.
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The temperature is typically fairly warm and humid, so please monitor you fluid intake. We will have a large water reservoir at Gate 3 of Kroger Field that can be used to refill bottles, and we will also maintain several water and sports drink coolers throughout the race. Participants will be given a custom water bottle at registration that is intended to be used during the race.
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If you have any medical concerns during the event, please go to the Ironcology tent where we will be able to provide basic medical services.
Use the following Buttons to jump ahead to your respective race.
(Additional Info about food, parking, camping, etc. after Ultra section)
Survive the Night Relays
Survive the Night Marathon
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The Marathon run course consists of 20 laps of a 1.3 mile loop AND the Double Marathon consists of 40 laps.
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Marathon teams will start at 7:30 PM on Friday night
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It begins in the Green Lot of Kroger Field and will be running in a clockwise direction around the lot.
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Runners will start the loop at the running arch marked with rainbow rope lighting to create the exchange zone. Runners follow the designated loop in a clockwise direction, heading towards College Sports Way. They will make a right turn onto College Sports Way, and then stay to the left at the 3-way intersection in front of Nutter Field House. Runners will climb the hill and continue straight until they reach the baseball stadium, where they will descend down the hill towards Alumni drive, turn RIGHT onto the running path and return back to the lots of Kroger field. There will be a short loop in the Kroger Field Blue lot, and runners will then enter Wildcat Alley in between Kroger Field and the football training complex. They will then exit back into the Green Lot and head back to the exchange zone.
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The minimum distance that a teammate must run will be 1.3 miles, or one lap.
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Exchanges must occur within the designated exchange zone.
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Runners are asked to wear their bib number on the chest at all times while running and to wear the timing chip on their ankle.
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Runners are required to wear additional lighting - one of the following: headlamp, lighted vest, belt, etc.
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When the final runner completes their 20th lap, the entire team is encouraged to join together, and run the final "short loop" - about 200m which will leave the exchange zone and complete a partial lap around the Green Lot before returning into the finisher's chute.
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Teams will have 5 hours to complete the full marathon which will be 26.2 miles.
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We will have a large projection screen posting live updates of each team's lap count, split, and team name.
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IMPORTANT: The marathon course will overlap with our Ultra course, but the ultra course is intended to take runners off pavement and onto the trails at the top of the hill. The marathon course will be marked using GREEN cones with GREEN lights. Marathon runners will need to follow the signage and listen to the volunteers on the course.
Here is a link to run loop: New Ironcology Run Loop
Survive the Night Ultra
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The course will feature both on- and off-road terrain, but the off-road components are essentially a groomed cross country course with very little if any technical terrain.
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The Ultra Event will last either 6 or 12 hours, based on the time chosen.
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Ultra runners will start at 7:30PM within the Running exchange zone in the Green Lot of Kroger Field. This will be marked with a Blue arches and rainbow rope lighting. Ultra runners will likely also be starting alongside some Marathon Relay teams.
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The Ultra run will start the same direction as the Marathon relay, and will exit the lot in a clockwise fashion heading towards College Sports Way. Runners will turn RIGHT and head to the 3-way intersection in front of Nutter Field House. Runners will stay to the LEFT and climb the hill. At the top of the hill on College Sports Way, Ultra Runners will turn LEFT and follow the Pink course markings to head under the arch to the trail. Runners will then follow the tree line which will lead them to the student recreation field, where they will then complete a large clockwise loop around the perimeter. Runners will stay on the grass with exception to a short section on the running path along Alumni Drive. Runners will then make a right turn before the softball stadium to begin their return towards Kroger Field. Once they pass the softball stadium, runners will be directed up the short steep climb above the soccer practice fields. Runners will follow the ridge which will take them back to the trail entrance. They will then make a right turn onto College Sports Way, stay straight through the 3-way intersection in front of Nutter Field House before returning to the running start.
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We will have a large projection screen posting live updates of each team's lap count, split, and team name.
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We will also have a designated aid station at the exchange zone reserved for Ultra runners, which will be stocked throughout the event.
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Runners are required to wear their bib number on front, carry additional lighting in the form of a lighted vest, headlamp, or something similar. This is strongly encouraged to consider your additional lighting such that it enables YOU to see. The course will be closed to any and all traffic.
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We will have course markings consisting of traditional marking tape, yard signs, PINK cones, and PINK glowsticks to denote the Ultra course. The marathon loop will be marked in GREEN.
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Runners will aim to complete as many laps as they can within the 12 hour timeframe.
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The run course loop will be adjusted to measure 2.0 miles in total length.
Here is a link to the ultra loop: https://www.strava.com/activities/6856475028
Our official Sports Medicine Provider will be onsite Friday evening from 6-10 PM. Visit their tent to learn more or for some foam rolling, stretching, and basic physical therapy assistance.
Our official timer, since this race started has been 3WayRacing. We couldn't imaging working with anyone else. Skip has rebranded the company as Bluegrass Timing, but he is once again helping to time a fairly complex event, so please tell them thanks for their hard work and dedication.
Cancer Survivor Awards
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The whole purpose of this race is to encourage everyone to lead a healthy lifestyle, experience multisport and triathlon, and to use those to give back to cancer patients.
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We therefore want to celebrate our cancer patients more than ever.
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We are very excited about cancer survivor awards for this year, and we hope you will be too.
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We will give our cancer survivor awards out during the Pre-Race meeting at 6:30 PM at the Green Lot of Kroger Field. We hope all will attend.
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If you are unable to make the meeting to accept your award, simply go to the Ironcology tent when you arrive and we will present you your cancer survivor award.
Participant and Overall Awards
All participants who complete the Triathlon, Marathon, and Ultra running races will receive a custom Survive the Night Finisher's medal.
We will have overall team awards for each event consisting of the top 3 teams for Female, Male, and Co-Ed, Corporate, and 17 & Under. We will have specific awards for the Ultra participants based on the total distance completed if they surpass 50k or 50 miles.
We plan to hold 3 separate award ceremonies for each of the individual events:
Marathon - 12:00 AM
6 hr Ultra Run - 1:30 AM
Triathlon and 12 hr Ultra Run - 7:30 AM
What's for Dinner and Breakfast?
We always try our best to feed our participants. For this year this is certainly no different. We will have Little Caesars Pizza and Cheesy Bread, and we are excited to have 2 different food trucks on site this year - Critchfield Meats and Oaken BBQ.
Throughout the night we will have coffee, soda, sports drink, plus additional handhelds and snacks.
In the morning, we will have Donut Days Donuts, assorted fruit, and yogurt.
Food will be located in the large tent in the Green Lot adjacent to the Run Exchange.
Getting to Kroger Field
For directions from Regional Cities, follow this link: HERE
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Check-In for all races will begin on Friday, July 19th at 4:00PM. All teams and solo participants are encouraged to complete Check-In BEFORE 6:30PM. This will allow you sufficient time to park, get oriented, set-up camp, etc.
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All participants will be asked to enter Kroger Field from Cooper Drive and parking in the Red Lot. There will be signs designating where to park.
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If you plan on bringing an RV or larger vehicle, we kindly ask that you either arrive early to park in the Red Lot, or park in the Red Lot area that we designated in the image below as "Overnight." There will be plenty of space for everyone to park, but this area will be closed off during the bike section so you will not be able to drive in and out between the hours of 8:00pm and 3:00am.
Camping
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Participants ARE ALLOWED to camp onsite.
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You are more than welcome to select your area to setup a tent beginning at 8am on Friday 14th
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There is plenty of space for everyone to put up a tent at Kroger Field, but location will be on a first come first serve basis.
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If you plan on bringing an RV or other mobile camper, please park in either the K-lot or in the Red Lot as directed above.
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UK forbids the use of fire pits or any open fires.
Ironcology Planning Team
Jonathan Feddock
Bob Callen
Mary-Beth Naumann
Kevin Compton
George Van Meter
Frank Howatt
Segment Captains
Swim - Shannon Florea and Jodi Shoup
Bike - Asher Feddock
Run - Kevin Compton
Run/Ultra - Frank Howatt and Bob Callen
Please say hi and thank our team if you are having a good time! Especially our volunteers!
Be sure to smile on the course as we will have Jeff and Abby Laub back taking your photos on course.
Special Thanks to All of our Sponsors
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Last but not least, this race is managed and directed as a joint partnership of the Bluegrass Runners and Ironcology.
