Ragnar Relay

So we ran the Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay last weekend and it was so much fun! Here we are right after we crossed the finish line. (We are standing in front of Kris' dream van.) We had 12 team members who each ran 3 legs for a total of 188 miles from Logan to Park City. Our team name is The Finishers.

My first leg was only 3.5 miles that was mostly flat and rated easy. I ran it in the late afternoon and it was very hot. I didn't take my iphone with me so I didn't know how long I had been running or how far I had gone. I was not having very much fun and was ready to be done with that leg. I figured that the exchange had to be at the top of the little hill that was in front of me but when I got to the top all I saw was a long straight road with no exchange in sight. I almost started crying and I slowed way down because I was running pretty fast. Then I heard Kris cheering for me and saw the exchange was down a road to the left. I was so happy to see him!

After Kris and Mindy ran their legs, we drove to East Canyon Reservior and camped on the grass by the water for a couple of hours. (I think I only slept for about an hour though.) Then we were back on the road. When it was my turn to run again it was about 4:00 a.m. It was 7.7 miles, rated hard. The air was cool and the stars were out. I think that was the best run of my life. I ran fast and still had enough left at the end to stride in. I was pumped full of endorphins on a runner's high. It was awesome!

While the other van was on the course we went and visited my parents and had some toast. Then we drove to the next exchange and tried to get some sleep. I didn't get much. :)

I had been praying for rain so my last leg wouldn't be so hot and it was cloudy. I started my last run which was only 4 miles but rated very hard and nick-named "Ragnar" because it is straight up the back of Deer Valley Mountain. I had set a goal to run the whole thing and not take any walking breaks. It was so beautiful and I was thinking about how this was what I had been training for for 6 months. It made it so much easier. Then it started raining. That helped me even more. A lot of people passed me but I didn't care. I just focused on my run. At the top there was a flat stretch before the exchange and I ran as fast as I could. It felt so great to sprint through the rain and know that I had conquered the Ragnar.

Our team finished in 32 hours 13 minutes and 10.3 seconds. We were number 272 out of 331 in the Coed Open and number 369 overall. It was such an incredible experience and I can't wait to do it again next year. Go Finishers!