Ragnar Relay Race-NAPA VALLEY

Ever heard of RAGNAR? You probably haven't, unless you are from Utah because Ragnar was started and is headquartered there (in Kaysville actually!). Most people around here haven't heard of it so explaining what I was about to participate in was pretty fun. I would begin by saying, "well, its an overnight relay race, around 190 miles long." It's fun to watch their eyes get really big, but then I say that there are 12 members of our team and we all run 3 times. No break in the race, you start and don't stop till its done! Sounds crazy, right? It is.....and SO MUCH FUN! The race started in San Francisco and ended in Calistoga (Napa Valley). We started at 7:30am Friday morning and crossed the finish line roughly 30 hours later, around 2:15 pm on Saturday afternoon.

I was Runner 1, which means I began the race and got to cross the Golden Gate Bridge. Actually, they were doing construction, so I went halfway, turned around and then our van drove across the bridge to drop off Runner 2. My first leg was 3.8 miles and I ran it in 30 minutes, around an 8 minute pace. Way faster than I normally run, so I blame the adrenaline coursing through my body. Plus some guy in those weird 5 toe shoes and a pink skirt kept trying to pass me, so I couldn't slow down! Right before you get to the bridge, there were TONS of stairs to climb and my quads were BURNING! They actually hurt for days after that. But then I got to the bridge and it was fogged in, plus I couldn't really take in the view and dodge runners at the same time. And it was LOUD! This was actually my least favorite leg of the series, surprisingly! But still cool :)

Here is my destination (GG Bridge) viewed from our starting line parking lot.
Here is our team at the start line: Beth, Marisa, Heather, me, Angie and EmilyThis is me at the start line, seconds before we began. I was SO NERVOUS! Can you tell?
Our team name was Revenge of the Ragnerds! There were some pretty crazy names, about 300 teams participated. Some were funny and some were downright disgusting! I think my favorite was "Napa-Headed Hoes." Sorry if you are offended I put that.
All 6 of us girls finished our first legs and then took a break. We found a hamburger shop in Novato and polished off some really good grub! Then we headed to the major exchange in Petaluma. We rested, read magazines and laid out in our sleeping bags. But I was nervous and tied in knots because I was runner 1 and I had to run again! This was my longest leg, 5.8 miles. When Keith came in to hand off the bracelet to me, I jetted off and within 5 minutes my quads were KILLING! I didn't think I could make it. It was around 5pm and very warm. But I kept trucking along. Somewhere halfway, I heard some CRAZY honking and there were my girls, my team cheering me on. Emily jumped out of the van and splashed water at me, then they cheered and drove on to where I would hand off. It was awesome and gave me a much needed boost. After going through some cow pastures, I finished my 2nd leg and I don't remember what my time was, but I know I ran around a 9 minute pace. Again, not bad for me!
As we all ran our second legs, night was falling and we all were starting to get a little loopy. There is something about having to put on those hideous reflective vests and butt lights and headlamps and run in the dark that is scary and exciting at the same time.

Waiting for Heather to finish is Marisa, Beth Angie and me (where is Emily?)
Getting a little CRAZY in the car!
I can't remember what time our van finished the 2nd legs, maybe it was 9pm or something. But it was dark and we were hungry. We ended up pulling into a high school gym somewhere in Sonoma and paying $1 to sleep in the gym. We rolled out our bags and laid on the floor. We laid there for seriously 3 hours and how much sleep did I get? NOT A WINK! But the floor was hard and some dude was snoring. There are people sprawled out everywhere trying to sleep and it was just crazy. Around 2:00am, we got a text from van 2 that said we would start up around 4:15am. So we settled back into sleep (or not). 10 minutes later, Heather jumps up and exclaims "we got to go, they just sent their last runner off!!" Their last runner was Keith and he is VERY fast. We had a 40 minute drive to our next exchange. So we BOOKED it! I seriously put my contacts in right there in the gym and we headed out. I didn't have time to grab my shoes from the back of the van, so I thought I would do so just as we arrived. On the way to where I would run next, I seriously had to go to the bathroom BAD and NOW! So right when we got there, I jumped out of the van and the girls went and looked for my shoes for me. As I was standing in line, Marisa comes in with my shoes, but one of them is right and the other someone elses! After the bathroom, I ran out, grabbed my shoe and here comes Keith! JUST in the nick of time! He slapped that bracelet on me and I was off at 4am, running my last leg. It was 4.3 miles. This was my coolest run by far. My legs didn't hurt as bad surprisingly, but my stomach did. Downing a power bar for my combined dinner and breakfast was not the best idea. But I was pretty much by myself in the early morning, except for the occasional headlamp behind me or butt light in front. The stars were out and there was not a sound! No cars, except for a few vans. The runners were few and far between because of how far into the race it was. I didn't even put on my music because I just loved hearing the sound of my breathing and my feet hitting the pavement rhythmically. Not sure of my time, nor do I care. At that point, I was aiming for my finish and when I was done, AHHH!!! I did it!

Our van finished up around 9am and we headed out to Black Bear Diner for some SERIOUS breakfast grub while we waited for the guys van to finish. This was the hardest part. After breakfast, we headed to the finish line at Calistoga and waited in the hot afternoon sun. It felt like forever. We wandered around downtown, ate ice cream, took pictures, watched other teams (a few we knew) cross the finish.

Here we are, waiting for word that the guys were closer.
Around 2:15pm, Keith was spotted and we headed for our big finish! I have to hand it to the guys, they ran at the WORST times (heat of afternoon, middle of night), we had it easy.
The guys van of Revenge of the Ragnerds!
The girls van!
And here is our team, decked out in nerd gear, tired, but ELATED: long live Revenge of the Ragnerds!!
I can honestly say, without a doubt, that I would do this again! Next year, baby!