Race Recap: Ragnar Relay Pennsylvania

Team Monster Milers at the FINISH!

What makes a Ragnar Relay what it is?  Is it the lack of sleep?  Is it the emotional strain craving comfort (and a shower) while being stuck covered in sweat in the back of a messy van?  Is it watching your teammates pitch in to cover legs when one of yours gets sick?  Is it encouraging the competition and cheering your heart out for runners you don’t even know?  Is the experience of going from near tears one hour to wondering how quickly you can sign up for the next Ragnar Relay an hour later?  How can I explain my experience at Ragnar?   It was an emotional and physical roller-coaster and it was unlike any race I’ve ever done.

Preparation:
Our team went on a few training runs before the race to get to know each other.  While many of us were connected through The Monster Milers or friends of friends/co-workers in some way, many of us were essentially strangers.  I have to admit, I was quite nervous going into it.  I was about  to share a nearly 48-hour (intimate and demanding) experience with folks I did not know.  What if mayhem erupted in the van?  What if personalities clashed? These pre-race meetings helped, but I would be lying if I said that I was not nervous about the human-aspect of this race.  (It is after all, a team relay.  And we’d be in very close quarters, physically exhausted, stinky, and running on nearly no sleep for 36 hours.)

Rebecca, our team captain was METICULOUS at planning this thing.  She had spreadsheets for us with predicted leg starts/finishes broken down by each runners expected race-pace.  She put together a packing list that was amazingly comprehensive, and this is coming from a person who is obsessed with lists.  I’ll put “Make Packing List” on my “To Do” list…  Because of Rebecca, I didn’t even have to come up with a list!  She organized the pre-race runs and meetings.  She reserved vans.  Paid the team fee.  She completely put my mind at ease on the planning front.  She covered everything…

The night before Ragnar we all met to decorate the vans with photos/bios of adoptable dogs in Philadelphia shelters.  This race was going to an “Adopt a Running Buddy” event for our non-profit.  Normally these events consist of taking a few dogs who are in our running program to local running trails or races to see if we can find an adoptive home for them.  While dogs weren’t allowed at Ragnar due to liability concerns, we wanted to represent for the dogs.  While some of us taped “Adopt Me” flyers to the van, other runners spent time making tons of encouragement posters and flags.  It was a jovial night but you could tell we were all wondering, “What the hell are we getting ourselves into?”

Friday:

Van 2 nervously waiting to start...

I was in Van 2 so we did not have to be at Exchange 6 until around 2PM when Van 1 would be wrapping up their first six legs.  (Van 1 started running at 9AM.)  Ok.  Rewind.  For any of you who are reading and have no idea how this race works, here is a brief summary:

• A “Team” consists 12 runners in two vans commit to run around 200 miles.  A team also must provide 3 volunteers to work at exchanges throughout the race.  So a team is really made up of 15 people.
• Van 1 starts the race and runs six legs with their six runners.  Each runner runs once and then the other Van takes over.  The “baton” is a slap bracelet.  (Yeah 1994 memories!)  So runner 6 from Van 1, passes off to Runner 7 of Van 2 at the first major exchange point.
• At major exchange points (every six legs), the OTHER Van will arrive and then their runners take over while the Van that just ran gets to take a 5-6 hour “break.”  There are 36 legs so each runner is responsible for three legs.
• When your van is not “actively running” you can attempt to sleep somewhere (more on that later), grab some food, cheer on other runners, etc.
• Then all of the runners meet at the finish line to run through the finishing shoot with the last runner, as a team.
  Then you sleep when you get home.  A lot.

Ok, so now that you know how it works – Van 2 left Philly at around 11AM to get to Exchange 6 by 2PM.  I was dealing with my normal pre-race jitters but nothing too bad.  When we arrived there were 20-30 vans in the parking lot, tons of runners, and free shoo-fly pies for each van.  SCORE!  We went through a brief safety orientation when we got to Exchange 6.

As you can tell Ragnar is not a normal race format.  We would be running on open roads, throughout the day and night some with no support.  Ragnar is VERY serious about runner safety and they have very strict safety rules.  For example, if you cross a road, ANY road, to cheer on one of your runners you have to wave a neon flag.  It does not matter there are no cars in view.  It’s a genius rule because you always have to THINK about crossing.  If they spot you crossing the road, or on the other side of the road from your van without the flag, you will get a warning via text message from race safety officials.  If a team receives three warnings they disqualify the team.  Runners also have to wear reflective gear, LED lights and headlamps between the hours of 5:30PM and 7:30AM.   If you are out of your van, even just to cheer or use a portapottie between those hours, you still have to wear a vest.  At first I thought it was overkill, but it really reminds runners just how vulnerable we are out there after dark.  (During the race, and always.)

Runner 6 was a bit later than planned coming in because one of our teammates got lost on the course.  (Very easy to do – more on that later.)  Unlike a normal race, you’re out there completely alone.  There were over 1200 runners in the race (100+ teams), but only about 100 runners at any given moment were on the full course of 202.2 miles.  And they stager the start time from 6AM all the way to 2PM so teams are quite spread out.  Most of us are just used to running in packs of runners during a race (except for the elites – holla!).  Ragnar is predominantly a solo experience when you are on the roads.  (But you also have amazing team members and other teams cheering you on every few miles…)  Moral of story is, it’s VERY easy to get lost if you miss a directional sign along the course.  You often can’t even spot another runner in the distance to follow.

The first thing we realized that this course was HILLY.  I mean, REALLY hilly.  At the exchange point after our first runner headed out to start our legs, we chatted to our team members in Van 1 (who just finished their first six legs.)  They were all quite surprised at the elevation changes on the course.  (Ragnar provides comprehensive course maps, with elevation changes, but most of us live in Center City Philadelphia where the only hills we can work on are the Ben Franklin Bridge or parts of Fairmont Park.)  We underestimated hills.  A lot.  What’s a 100 ft incline look like?  Who knows?  We learned.

My First Leg – Leg 11

I was “Runner 11” of our team so had to wait for 10 other runners to finish their legs before I started.  We started as a team at 9AM, but I didn’t start running until around 5:15PM.  (Pretty brutal for someone like me who gets a bit nervous before races.   I really just wanted to get it done!  I had a lot of time to think and stew about my leg.)  My first leg was supposed to be a 5.9 “Hard” leg.  Now, “supposed to” the key word here because I ended up running 8 miles.

The Ragnar directions for my leg were a bit wonky.  My first turn was supposed to be 1.2 miles into the run.  So I headed out with a lot of enthusiasm after Runner 10 slapped the bracelet on my arm.  The first thing I realized was that I was running up a HUGE hill that I didn’t notice on my elevation map.  Because the other runners who ran before me told me they were surprised about the elevation, I didn’t think much about it and started to charge up it.  Ouch.  It was MEAN. I had my Garmin on so I started looking out for my first turn at around mile 1 just to be safe.  At mile 1.2 there are no turns in sight.  Mile 1.4 hits Mile 1.6 hits and I decide that something is very wrong.  Naturally my iPhone was having GPS issues so I asked a guy who was mowing his lawn where my road was.    He must have known about the race and said, “Oh sweetheart, that’s about a mile behind you, down that big hill.”

My heart DROPPED.  I missed my first bloody turn!  I ran up a MILE hill climb for nothing.  And I was going to cost my team about 18 minutes.  The adrenalin mixed with the shock brought tears to my eyes.  There was nothing I could do but turn around, run back down the hill and carry on.  I sent a quick text message to my team to let them know so they wouldn’t worry when they didn’t see me at a cheer point.  “Missed a turn.  Ran a mile in the wrong direction.  Uphill.  Turning around now.  F%$k.”

In retrospect I should have taken a breather, called someone in the van and had them pick me up and take me back to the turn I missed. But I was exhausted from the hill climb and devastated about the news.  That thought didn’t even hit me and I just wanted to get on with it.  (I could probably run it faster in less time than it would take them to navigate to me.)

So I retraced my steps and made the turn which should have been .6 miles into my run (not 1.2).   Less than a mile into my leg and I had already run nearly 3 miles, most of which were uphill.  For about 10 minutes I was really, really shitty about the situation.  I felt worse about letting my team down than I did about the added miles.  I was holding back tears and really down on myself about it.  I decided to stop, drink some water, chomp a ShotBlock and regroup.  As I did another team drove by and shouted out “Go Runner!  You can do it.”  And it was enough to get me going again.   I decided to take my pace as fast as I could on hills (around 9:15) and just enjoy the scenery.  The damage was done and there was nothing I could do but enjoy the rest of my run.

My team was awesome – once they found me they told me they got lost too (missed a turn as well) and passed me a few times to cheer me on.  The scenery was incredible.  I ran through quiet hidden farm roads.  Through a covered bridge.  Up many more hills, though nothing as serious as my first one.  I passed 8 year old kids riding horses on gravel roads.  Was passed by three horse and buggies.  Witnessed tons of beautiful family moments – kids playing in the yards, people hugging, gardeners checking their harvest, folks tending to their animals, I even had two kids at one of the farms cheering me on with a banner that said, “Keep it up runners.  You’re almost there.”

At Ragnar when you pass someone it’s called a “kill.”  About 4 miles in, during sunset I was killed by an extremely fast runner who made it look effortless (in sandals nonetheless.)  I’m fairly certain it was Serge Girard, but I can’t for sure say if he was running in this race.  Amazing.  If he was running with a legend.  What an honor!  If you’re going to be passed – it may as well be by a running LEGEND.  (Good thing I missed that turn right?)

About another Mile down the road another fast guy passed me and ran with me for about a minute.  He humored me and said, “Man, did you see that guy fly past us?  Did he run past you too?”  (This was really sweet because he was about to “kill” me too.  But that’s what I love about races.  Most runners are awesome sportsmen/women.)  Yep!  I saw him.  And I knew this particular runner was about to pass me too, but he wanted me to let me know that he too was passed by Sir. Speedy Pants.  Mystery runner:  you have a heart of gold.  He wished me well after a minute, and took off up a hill.  Ack!  Two kills.  I eventually got to Exchange 11, passed the slap bracelet off to our 12th runner and called my first leg done.

My Van was amazingly supportive. I was beating myself up about the lost time and they reassured me they got lost too. (I still felt like a jerk…)  In my mind, this was harder than the half marathon I just completed two weeks prior.  The hills were killer and my headspace was highly detrimental for the first 30-40 minutes.  (Hey Ragnar, please update that map for next year!)

We were lucky enough to have a church hosting this exchange and they allowed us to use their bathroom facilities.  (Awesome after using portapoties all day!)  I was able to change into clean clothes and try to get myself together.  Then… the thing all runners fear – serious gastro issues hit me seemingly instantly.  (Thank god for flushing toilets!)  I was about to have a religious experience in the church because I was just so happy to be in a proper bathroom for it.  (I assume y’all are runners and let’s face it – we’ve all been there.)  I don’t know if it was the pre-race nerves coupled with my 2-mile mistake that turned my stomach to mush, but it was pretty awful.

And it unfortunately did not pass.  We stopped at a convenience store for some hydration and I picked up a box of Pepto tablets. When runner 12 was done, our van wrapped up and we decided to go to a bar to watch the Phillies game.  Normally after a grueling run, I can’t wait to sink my teeth into something proteiny and starchy.  (Burger and fries with a pint of beer at the Royal Tavern have become a long-run or post-race tradition…)  As I browsed the menu and NOTHING sounded good – not even a burger and fries.  I knew something was wrong.  I also couldn’t warm myself even though I had a sweatshirt on and we in a toasty bar.  (The temps during the day were an unseasonably warm 80 degrees, and swung to around 40 degrees in a few hours so I’d expect some chilling after a sweaty run, but this was not normal…) I  was the kind of cold where I was physically shaking at times.  I ordered a baked potato and steamed veggies.  (WTF?)  I could only get a few bites of the potato down.  I excused myself while the team watched the game and went to the van to lay down.

At this point I was really down in the dumps.  All I wanted was a shower, my bed, solitude and a book.   I sent my husband a few text messages while feeling sorry for myself.  (Pity party in full effect!)  He was supportive and urged me to try to get some rest and see if it passed.  I curled up in my sleeping bag, got toasty and immediately fell into a HARD sleep for an hour and a half.  (It’s pretty funny – we wrote “Honk for Animal Rescue” on the back of our van and didn’t get any honkers during the day.  But mid-way through my nap some folks honked and screamed “Yeah ANIMAL RESCUE.”  It was hilarious timing.)  I woke up refreshed and immensely better.  It was like my body (and emotions) needed a wee reset.  I was ready to carry on.  I went back into the bar and now it was time for my teammates to feel sour.  The Phillies had just lost the game; the season was over for them.  I was so elated about feeling better than it didn’t phase me, even though I love my home team (Go Phils!)

My 2nd Leg – Leg 23
Since we were running behind schedule, my second leg which was supposed to be around 3AM, was pushed back to around 4:30AM.   The night was spent cheering on our team and honestly wondering if it was safe for us to be running alone on deserted streets.  On one hand it was great that there wasn’t much traffic, on the other, I couldn’t help but think, “Someone could totally attack a runner and no one would know about it until they didn’t arrive at their next exchange.”  (Mace next year for sure…)  The girls on our team were all on high-alert.

Leg 23  started at around 4:30AM and it was only 4.5 miles.  Thankfully I was running I ran along a road with houses dotted along it and not in the middle of the woods like other Milers did.  I would have FREAKED out.  It was still nerve-wracking though.  When I head out for night runs, I always do it during “normal hours” when I’ll see other humans out and about.  (And almost always with my dog by my side and hello, I live in Center City Philadelphia.)

I was COMPLETELY alone out there.  It actually made me run my fastest leg of the race (ave pace 8:40) because my adrenaline was pumping.  It was also freezing outside so I had to keep moving to keep warm.  About two miles in I came to a lovely country town – and was able to run through a deserted downtown shopping district.  It was full of mom and pop stores and refreshingly free of chain stores.  For some reason this made me feel a lot more “at home,” as if I was in the Central PA version of downtown Philadelphia.  Even though there was no one around, I was very happy to be running under street lamps.  I also passed a papergirl out for her AM paper-route and she said, “Keep it up!”  (She probably thought I was crazy…)

It was definitely a thrill.  Nothing but me, my reflective vest, my headlight and the occasional van to cheer me on.  Another runner “killed” me again.  It actually may have actually been the same supportive mystery runner who killed me on leg 11.  Afterall, we would have been running the same legs…)  I heard him come up behind me and I said, “Lovely evening for a run, huh?”  He laughed and said, “Awesome night.  Are you enjoying the experience?”  We offered each other words of encouragement and he took off.  (I then “chased” him and picked up my pace until the end – thanks for pacing me mystery runner!)  He was the only other runner I saw on this leg.  I’m telling you – this is not like any race I’ve ever done.

Once we wrapped up we decided to go to exchange 30 (where Van 2 would wrap up in six hours) to sleep.  Ragnar set up two “indoor sleeping” spots (and an outdoor one if you want to curl up under stars).   I was not looking forward to this, I have to admit.  We knew it was going to be in a high school gymnasium and I imagined lots of commotion and noise as runners entered/exited, bright gym lights, hard floors, etc.  I figured I would be lucky to sleep at all.

We arrived to find really enthusiastic students greeting us.  I still can’t figure out how they convinced teenagers to come in at 5AM on a Saturday to show sweaty, fatigued runners where to sleep, brush their teeth, wash sweat off, and pee.  The gym was completely darkened (windows covered – the sun was coming up at this point) with a loud van humming so there was lovely white noise.  (Not sure if the fan-noise was planned, but it was AWESOME!)  Runners were extremely respectful (and probably just too tired to make much noise).  Much to my surprise, I crashed the second my head hit my pillow.  I’ve never slept so soundly on a floor in my life.  I woke up two hours later feeling shockingly refreshed (don’t ask me how that happened, I’m an 8-hours-of-sleep kinda gal. Yet another Ragnar mystery I guess..) and donated $3 to the school so I could take one of the best lukewarm showers of my life.  I headed up to the cafeteria for a bagel sandwich and some bake-sale goodies from the school’s “Young Entrepreneurs” club, before getting ready for the day.

Goofing around with the team (Melissa, one of our wonderful volunteers is wearing a homemade costume...)

When we started our next round of legs (our last round) Van 1 was FINISHING theirs.  It was really neat to see the sheer happiness on their faces.  It’s a great experience, but we’re all happy when races are done right?  One of our team members in the other van got really sick on Friday night, so the runners in that van had to take her leg, and it was not an easy one.  How amazing.  What a team!  In fact, three runners ran her leg together to share the experience.  How sweet is that?

My Third Leg – Leg 35

Then Van 2 started our last set of legs at around 11AM.  These legs were by far, some of the hardest legs in the entire race.  (I feel guilty that this was actually my easiest leg of the race.  It was considered “moderate” but I didn’t have to deal with freezing darkness or a missed left turn, so everything seemed easy…)  My Van-mates ware mazing.  They all had EXTREMELY grueling legs for the last set (28-36) and got through them with total grace.  I was inspired to be on a team with them.

Almost finished...

My third leg started with a fairly steep, but short hill.  I was up it in 2 minutes.   The hills continued to roll, but they were nothing compared to what I went through on leg 11, or what my teammates in Van 2 did just before me.  I got my first and only “kill” on this route.  A runner started about 20 seconds ahead of me, and I passed her about 2 minutes in.  She had headphones in and I wanted to give her some encouragement like the guys who passed me so graciously offered me.  It really helped me when they slowed to chat.  I tried to talk to her but no dice – she was in her own zone.  I felt bad, but I also have to admit, it felt good.  I’m used to being a pretty solid mid-packer and knowing that I was passed 3 times without a single “kill” under my belt was slightly disappointing even considering the fact that there are only 100 runners on the course at a time.  By the time I finished it was a solid kill, as she was about 5 minutes behind me coming in.

Due to our four “lost miles” and other snags, we came in about 2 hours late.  By the time we arrived most of the post race party was wrapping up, but it was wonderful to finally cross the finish with these awesome people who were basically just names on email addresses to me just 48 hours before.   The last team to come in (may or may not have been “true” last as the starts are staggered) was left with basically no one cheering them on.  One of the sweetest things I’ve ever seen was how Ragnar handled this.  On cue, every single available volunteer RAN to the finish shutte when they were announced and cheered their asses off for the runners.  Volunteers materialized from every angle of the field…  So lovely to watch.

Afterthoughts:

Yes, I will run another Ragnar.  Probably in 2012.  I’m a big traveler and have been all over the world.  Ragnar elicits a very similar emotional mix for me as traveling.  The race has the excitement of travel because the course is just so damn amazing.  Top that with the physiological strain of not much sleep and creature comforts, with the promise of something awesome at the end (a destination, a finish line).  It felt as if I went through some culture shock, learned something about myself/my world, settled in, got to my destination, and arrived home (with a medal), all in 48 hours.  A perfect race experience.

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