Ragnar

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So I was gone last weekend - only my second weekend ever away from Natalie. On my first weekend, I went to Atlanta with the divine Miso. We knitted, ate lots of yummy food, and just generally relaxed. This weekend was a little different. Not that it wasn't fun - it most definitely was. It just wasn't as restful.

A year ago, my good friend Erin mentioned that she'd filled out a team entry for a relay race in Utah. This, after all my moaning about no time to exercise, no time to get out, etc. So, naturally, I said yes. I like running! I like mountains! I like Erin! This would be fun.

And it so, so was.

Ragnar is a nation-wide relay series. Basically, you get a team of 12 people together, two giant vehicles, and then your team covers 200-ish miles of scenic countryside. The race I did, Wasatch Back, went from Logan, Utah to Park City, Utah: 191 miles. They also have races in Napa, Southern California, and the Florida Keys (food for thought, my runner friends, food for thought).

Our team was my friend Erin, her spouse Horst, Erin's sister, and then a ton of Erin's sister's neighbors and friends. So, basically, other than Erin and Horst, I knew no one.

As an aside, here's Erin and Horst's darling son:

The group was super-welcoming and friendly. I basically flew into Salt Lake City on Thursday with all my running clothes, some food, and a sleeping bag, and then started running on Friday. Crazy!

So, yes, Friday. The runners in the first van started at 5:45am. I was the first runner in the second van, meaning that we didn't get started until a far more civilized noon-ish.

Basically, the vehicle drops the runner off, and then leapfrogs down the road to the next exchange point where the runner will pass off the baton/slap bracelet to the next runner.Each leg varies in difficulty (someone has to run up those mountain passes, you know?) and mileage (the range is anywhere from 3 - 12 miles). Each runner on a 12-person team runs three legs. So, really, it is manageable. And fun.

There were two things about Ragnar that are different from other road-running events I've done. First, the race is largely unsupported. This means that race organizers don't have lovely tables of water and snacks for the runners. If you want it on your run, you need to carry it - or have your vehicle meet you midway through your leg (there were a few legs where it simply wasn't practical to have vehicles stopping, so the organizers did provide water and goodies on those legs). Second, the roads aren't closed to traffic. This last one really freaked me out. I generally run either on the treadmill or on running paths, rarely on sidewalks, and never on the road. Traffic is a bit alien to me. Add to that the fact that I knew I'd be running at night, and I was a little stressed about this aspect.

I should also say that, as a result of the interplay of the two factors above, the race had an oddly scenic / vehicular feel. The route we were running - local roads in the Wasatch mountains - was totally, totally beautiful (a late, late spring meant that there was still LOTS of snow around and all the lower areas were amazingly green. It really, really looked super-pastoral and Switzerland-y). But, since every team had two big vehicles (think Suburbans, Ram vans, etc.) and all the vehicles were cruising around dropping off, picking up, and otherwise supporting their runners, the scenic beauty of it all was a little marred. But it also felt a bit like a big party in the mountains, with 14,000 runners participating in the event.

Because of the relay aspect, the race felt very fun and non-competitive. Yes, you passed people, and, yes, people passed you (a lot of them, in my case). But, since the distance was so great, and the running pace and skill of the total team varied, it was hard to feel super-competitive about things. There's no meaningful personal record to be had on something like this, so it seemed better to just kick back, have fun, enjoy the scene and the scenery, and have some good runs.

And that is exactly what I did. (of course, I had sort of low standards. I figured it would be a win of weekend if I didn't have to call Mike from the ER).

So, the race pics. Our first vehicle was mostly women and one man:

Here's a group picture of the vehicle I rode in:

Our first stop was exchange #6, the point where I would start running. The run started with a mandatory safety briefing. Nothing like that to get one excited!

(This picture doesn't do a great job at capturing the enormity of the crowd at the staging area)


Here I am, right before my first leg:

Here's my friend Horst, running his first leg (right up a giant mountain):

Here's another view of Horst's route:

I told you it looked like Switzerland, right?

And here's a little blend of the sublime and the mundane (also, just goes to show that all races have some things in common!)

Here's some of the team, trying to catch a late-afternoon rest.

My next leg was at night. Actually, as the first runner in the second vehicle, I drew a very fortuitous spot and started just at twilight. My race ended in darkness, but for most of it, I had a lovely, inky purple star-rise. This was my steepest leg (also, my shortest, at 3.8 miles). Super-happily, my friend Erin ran this leg with me as a pacer.

 (Erin and I take safety seriously, clearly)

So, my van ran most of the early night of Friday-into-Saturday. It was COLD. I think our last runner started at 2am. For nine miles. In 31 degrees.

Local high schools and churches had opened their gyms and rec rooms to runners. So, after everyone was done running, we headed to a high school to catch a few winks while the other van ran their legs. This was, um, not the most restful night ever. We "slept" in the overflow gym (as in, not the one with the wrestling mats on the ground). Regrettably, it was also the gym with the showers, so people were walking back and forth all night. It was quite a scene.

(Comical, on a race day. Terribly tragic, of course, for victims of disasters who are forced to take refuge like this. I hope I only ever see such a scene under willing circumstances.)


After that restful night, it was time for a little breakfast and then to run again.

(Looking ever-chipper and well-rested, no?)

Here's a picture of me, just for comparison's sake, right before my last leg.

And the team:

My last leg was flat, along this beautiful, verdant valley floor. I was, however SO. TIRED. At one point, I actually stopped to dig out my phone and take this picture.

Luckily, when the van passed me, someone else managed to snap some pictures of me, you know, actually running. Proof positive!

Of course, "valley floor" inevitably leads to . . . mountain pass. Running up over Guardsman Pass looked really, really hard. I was very glad that these were not my legs (oooh, I love me a good pun!).

Was there still snow at the top of the pass?

Yes. Talk about the antidote to Texas in June!

And then we were in Park City. And it was over.

32 hours, 51 minutes. (for a 10:29 average mile pace).

(And, yes, oddly for a race in Utah, the medal does appear to be the world's heaviest bottle opener).

As an aside, I've become a real fan of the relay approach to running. So much more fun! And much less work! Coincidentally, the Dallas White Rock Marathon (December 4, 2011! For the Win!) has a 5-person relay option, with an entry fee of $45 per person. Just a thought.....

Although it was cold at night in Utah, we had wonderful weather for the race. The next morning? Rain.

(That's the Temple in Salt Lake City. My commitment did not extend to getting out of the car.)

One last sweet thing: I was able to meet up with one of my friends from my online knitting group. We met in Salt Lake City for the breakfast I'd been craving, oh, for the last 191 miles! In addition to her spouse, she brought her son, who just so happens to be about Natalie's age.

And then I flew home to hot, sunny Texas and my loves!
(but, yeah, I did knit on the plane. Just, you know, because I could. Socks on the plane! Socks on the plane!)