Just under 4500 people ran through Buffalo County earlier this month for the Ragnar Relay. Tonight, in our County-By-County look at Buffalo County, Fox 2548’s Brooke Schweiters has more on how the race brings business and tourism to the area.

From Winona, all the way to Minneapolis, around 360 teams of 12 are taking on a 200-mile race that brought them through the rolling hills of Buffalo County.

“There were a lot of hills there!”

The Ragnar Relay is a team effort that tests endurance and athleticism, but for many of these Ragnar runners, this weekend is not all about the race

“I would have never known about these cities had we not come through so I think it’s really, they do a good job of bringing you through places you wouldn’t have just on a normal drive through so I think it’s really special.”

With locals cheering them on.

“You’ve got people from the community that are sitting out along the course waving and ringing bells and holding signs, and they don’t know us, we don’t know them, it doesn’t matter.”

Runners are welcomed into a community many say they probably wouldn’t have visited before.

“It’s really great to kind of go along the river and through these small towns in Minnesota and Wisconsin that we wouldn’t usually see.”

And for local Travis Klingler and his family…

“It’s really exciting, we look forward to it every year.”

Who have been hosting one of the race exchanges at their fudge and ice cream shop in Modena for the past 9 years, they enjoy the tourism that comes into the community.

“I think it does have an impact on tourism and bringing different people from a lot of different places into Buffalo County, and into Modena.”

And watching runners enjoy the place they love so much.

“It’s fun for me to watch them enjoy the area and it makes you realize that you have a great environment and habitat.”

In Buffalo County, Brooke Schweiters, Fox 25/48 News at Nine.

And you can watch Fox 25/48’s half-hour special on Buffalo County coming up this Saturday night, August 26th at 9:30 pm immediately following Fox 25/48 First News at Nine.