Dear friends,

When we took over American Odyssey Relay and Potomac Odyssey Relay in 2018, we were so excited to be building on the success of the OG Race Director Bob Fleshner. We started with the highest high - celebrating 10 years of Odyssey races - and then 2020 came and our dreams quickly became a race director’s nightmare.

As many of you know, live events have struggled in recent years. We have tried everything to keep Freddy’s spirit alive and organize events that represent the JR Running and Odyssey brand, but it’s been incredibly difficult. After much consideration, we decided to give it one more try this spring and unfortunately, we simply couldn’t garner enough registrations. We understand - the market is still struggling, there’s no shortage of events and current economic headwinds and inflation are forcing folks to make tough decisions.

It’s with a heavy heart that we must share that we won’t be bringing back American or Potomac Odyssey Relay.  We have cherished every moment spent in Gettysburg, Shepherdstown, Poolesville, DC and every town in between. During those late nights and early mornings, we met some incredible souls and watched the power of the human spirit triumph over fatigue, injury, and even ghosts of Civil War battlefields. We thank you for creating a lifetime of memories and choosing to spend your time at our events. It’s truly been an honor and privilege.

We hope to see many of you on a local race course in the future. Don’t forget to support your local races and running stores. They need the support now more than ever. And please don’t be a stranger - we’ve loved getting to know you, your families and friends. Stay safe, be well and run strong.

Much love,

Joanna and Robin