Relay for the Past, Present, and Future of Wrestling

By Jim Brown

On October 19, 2014 eight teams of wrestlers, coaches and fans will walk or run to raise money for the sport they love. They will be participating in the inaugural Relay for the Past, Present and Future of Wrestling. The brainchild of Jim Brown, a wrestling fan from Cedar Rapids, IA, the event was created to give members of the wrestling community a way to show their commitment to the “world’s oldest and greatest sport”.

The primary relay route is from Brown’s house in Cedar Rapids to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum – a distance of roughly 70 miles. Three teams have opted to run satellite routes. Each team is raising money for four organizations of their choosing. Teams range from “Team’47” which is comprised of Cornell College wrestlers, coaches and alumni to “Team Slim Pickens” which has just one member – Bill Bails.

Bill is, perhaps, the most inspirational participant in the relay. He is 65, battling prostate cancer and, over two days, will run the entire length of the Cedar Valley Nature Trail and then 10 more miles to finish at the Dan Gable Museum – a total distance of 62 miles. He is the founder of Take Down Cancer, which last year held a clinic and other events in conjunction with the annual Coe/Cornell dual. They raised over $5,000 for the Hall-Perrine Cancer Center in Cedar Rapids. Bill is running in the relay to raise money for Take Down Cancer, the Hawkeye Wrestling Club, the Panther Wrestling Club and Wrestling for Life.

The other teams are participating to help:

If you would like more information or would like to support a team, contact Jim Brown at dmsolutions4u@live.com.