The average finishing time is about 26 hours while the elite teams finish in under 20. I'm not particularly pleasant to be around when I'm tired, so my husband was equally anxious and I think he feared for the lives of his friends. Our fears were groundless. With the elite teams, everything happens so quickly that there is little time to stand around and get bored. Depending on your team's goal, the purpose of the relay is either camaraderie or competition.
Some teams participate purely for the fun of it, with no real concern about their finish time.
But there are always several teams who show up hungry for the win. Nike entered a team of world-class athletes which blew every other team well away, but three years ago they decided enough was enough. Despite the disparity in ages, the team gelled immediately and it was as if these twelve men had been competing together all their lives. It was a wonderful experience, and I've heard the same thing from many of the other teams. If you think you've conquered the Great Lakes Relay, you may want to give the Hood to Coast a try.