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Ragnar Great River Relay 2010

• Race
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After completing a 300+ mile relay with six other people, I turned things down a notch to run the Ragnar Great River Relay — “only” a 200 mile 12 person relay from Winona to Minneapolis, MN. I would be on the co-ed team “Don’t Follow Me I’m Lost”, spending the weekend in a van with fellow CVRA members. Some I knew too well, others I met for a first time in Wal-mart’s parking lot as we prepared to leave. It was quite the adventure and a great time. The following is the account of the individual legs I ran, since I know those best, as well as some miscellaneous thoughts and experiences from the whole relay.

Race

Leg 5 — 6 .6 miles, 4:45 p.m.

Leg 5 Map

My first leg commenced along the Mississippi River. This area provided some scenic views, as well as a slights breeze off the water, which was welcome relief against the sunny afternoon. After two miles though the route turned inland, eliminating any wind. The sun baked the gently winding road’s black asphalt. I sweated profusely while battling the hot pavement. Such is the weather in August though, and I was feeling okay despite the heat. I was enjoying the warmth mainly by myself though. Although the relay had hundreds of teams in it, during this portion I saw about two other runners my entire time out there. So my long march felt more of a hot, lonely long run, rather than having the energy of participating in a race. Putting one leg continually in front of another eventually led me to the exchange zone and my cheering teammates, where I handed off the baton and gave thanks for the air-conditioning equipped vans.

6.6 miles in 42:06 — 6:22/mile

Leg 17 — 6.7 miles, 2:15 a.m.

Leg 17 Map

My next leg got underway nine and a half hours later in the middle of the night. At least the cover of darkness had mediated some of the day’s heat. To make up for the more favorable weather this leg menacingly added hills. It began with a solid two mile climb. After scaling the incline things at least flattened out for a while. Of course in the very dark night it was difficult to tell what the terrain was actually doing. All I could do was keep hammering into the darkness, racing after the blinking red dots in front of me.

Eventually the course began descending and it was then I noticed my headlamp was not fully charged. The illumination was not sufficient for my increased downhill pace as I was outrunning the beam. The light only stretched a few meager feet ahead, so I could not clearly see where my momentum would take me. With such short visibility, I would be on top of any hazard before I could react to it. The course went along on a nicely paved road though, so I kept pushing forward full bore following the white line on the edge of the road, which hopefully kept going safely toward the finish.

That fast downhill was unfortunately into a valley, and I was punished for that aide with a final mile climbing hurriedly out of it. Although my legs were really starting to feel the run, I strained into the dark incline, knowing the end was nigh. I could not see the top, so I concentrated on getting past the couple feet of pavement in front of me. This method finally brought me to the finish, and I was thankful to be done. Although this time fewer cheering teammates greeted me, as most of them were sleeping.

6.7 miles in 44:11 — 6:35/mile

Leg 29 — 8.5 miles, 9:30 a.m.

Leg 29 Map

To make my set of relay legs even more masochistic, the final one was the longest. At least the morning was cloudy with a little breeze, keeping the weather bearable. The long run began with some small, steep hills, but I was able to power through them on my relatively fresh legs. The miles seemed to get longer though as the leg stretched on. The two prior hard runs and lack of sleep were catching up. The route turned from roads and onto a bike path through a golf course’s subdivision. The racers mingled with some locals out for a morning walk, who gave some justifiably odd looks. Although this final leg was already my longest, I got an extra bonus mile the race directors added at the last minute. Of course this bonus fun was up a slight uphill, which felt like a mountain by this point. At its top I turned towards a school and my waiting teammates, where I could finally finish my contribution to Ragnar and rest — at least a little; it is not like I had a half Ironman the next day…oops.

8.5 miles in 58:00 — 6:49/mile

Other

Although running is the excuse to gather the teams together, the relay experience is so much more than some miles on your shoes. The bonding from being crammed together, smelly, sleep deprived, and loving every moment is impossible to describe. Small experiences build into a weekend to remember. After twenty-four plus hours together in a van, your teams either unites or absolutely hates each other. Thankfully our situation landed much closer to the former. We were also lucky enough to encounter along the 200ish mile route several other teams we knew. Two other CVRA gangs as well as some people from my job undertook the challenge as well, and we met randomly several times at all hours of the night, talking trash the entire time.

Although sleep deprivation is a part of Ragnar, I was able to maximize the few opportunities by learning from my prior experience. During the hiatus at the major exchange zones the vans become hot and stuffy, and a plethora of biting insects force the windows shut. To overcome these maladies I pitched a tent outside our van in which to lay. Although others initially mocked my accommodations, I was able to enjoy some bug free rest in the coolness of my light tent while they sweltered inside the van. By the end of our downtime, everyone envied my choice and vowed to bring their own tent next time. At the other exchange zone, mercifully the bugs were not out, and I could sleep under the stars. That hour on the ground in my sleeping bag felt like a full night’s rest on a luxurious mattress.

Team “Don’t Follow Me I’m Lost” at the Finish

Results