Day 26 - Russia

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June 26

Heiko relaxes in the Runner Van before beginning his next leg

The Blue Planet Run is a logistical masterpiece, which includes a large and skilled staff. Here's a closer look at the players involved in keeping the runners on the go 24 hours a day.

Advance Car — Scopes out the route and manages hotel arrangements before the team arrives.

Pilot Cars — Day and night, pilot cars travel ahead of the runners to keep them on the route. Pilot cars also include medical staff who tape ankles and knees and keep guard for more serious problems.

Runner Vans — The 20 runners are divided into teams of five. While a runner is on the road, his other three teammates are transported ahead and positioned for the exchange point. Depending on the time of day, some runner vans are on the road "leapfrogging" into position, and others are at the hotel allowing a segment of runners to sleep.

Communications Car — Includes a video and photo team to document the Run every step of the way.

The Run is following a carefully researched route that was developed more than one year ago and has been traveled twice. Every 10-mile baton exchange has been documented and photographed for reference and programmed into global-positioning software.

All this effort makes each day on the road seem nearly effortless.

Rudy passes through a small Russian village

Photos by Chris Emerick