Chaffee County Queer Club Holds Inaugural Relay "Rainbow" Race in Salida - by Floyd Rovano - Ark Valley Voice

Posted by Floyd Rovano | Oct 18, 2024 | Activities & Events, Ark Valley Activities, Arts & Culture, Community, Recreation & The Outdoors

The Chaffee County Queer Club will hold a Rainbow Relay Race starting at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 19, across the F Street Bridge in Salida, on the other side of the tracks. The race serves as a fundraiser for the club, and the entrance fee is $15. Though the event is a fundraiser, the race’s main purpose is to create a safe and welcoming environment for trans and queer athletes, and to celebrate supporters of the LGBTQ+ community.

Multiple teams will be racing. Each racer will belong to two teams: their “rainbow” team and their color team. Registrants will be sorted into color groups; they will wear that color when they run. All of the reds will take off at once, pass to the oranges in their rainbow team, and so on.

There will be prizes for the color team with the best average time and for the rainbow team that completes their rainbow first. A prize will also be given to the individual with the best time.

There are three categories that runners can sort themselves into: beginner, intermediate, and pro. Teams will be sorted into groups to make the teams “more or less” equal. Runner level is defined by how fast entrants feel they want to or will be in this race.

The race is open to runners of all ages, genders, sexes, sexualities, and ability levels; none of these are mentioned in the results. Accommodations will be made for those with difficulty walking and running. Allies are encouraged to participate if they would like to.

“We have families who look like us and who run the same race as us, and families who may look nothing like us and are running their own, completely different race, but who support and complete us all the same. In creating multiple teams for each participant, this race celebrates both of those families,” says race organizer Lijah Sampson.

Sampson is a nonbinary athlete, and sees problems in the norm of male and female categories in racing. Where would a person like them be recorded? “A mixed gender relay race is an event where binary gender results wouldn’t have to be recorded, so it seemed like a way to include everyone and have a good time.”

Registration is available here. Refreshments will be provided. For more information, contact [email protected].

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