Ragnar 2012

I'm popping in tonight to share some pictures from last weekend -- I do have so much fun at these Ragnar Relays! They're held all over the country now, though the Wasatch Back one in Utah was the original and is having its 10th anniversary in 2013. Have you ever raced in one?

starting line

4 of us, including my husband who I "volun-told" to run.  I'm the one who needs self-tanner.

This year was my third Wasatch Back, first year in Van 2 though (the two vans each carry 6 of the 12 team members and leapfrog each other along the course while each runner runs 3 separate legs for a total of about 200 miles).

 our rental car

our sweet spray paint tattoos

Van 2 is harder, y'all. I had a 3.2 mile run in the hot afternoon wind, a (surprisingly wonderful) 10 mile run at 3:00 am, and a (ridiculously brutal) 4.5 leg that involved walking (yeah, not running) up the bottom half of Guardman Pass -- a gorgeous but insanely steep, steep climb in hot weather.

 my Ragnarly climb

It was mostly the hills, and the nighttime run that made it difficult... oh, and the heat of the mid-afternoon runs. Oh, and the fact that van 2 seems to be where all the teams put their "real" runners so I kept seeing people whiz by me and my 9:45 pace! Ha :)

We had such a fun time, though -- talking and eating, running (of course) and getting sleep when (and where) we could, and crossing the finish line as a team.

sleeping on a trailer hitch rack

running toward the finish line 

 This was going to be my last year, but umm... now I'm not sure that it will be -- next year is the 10th anniversary, after all. It's truly an addictive race experience with some amazing scenery and unforgettable team experiences. I sound like an advertisement, I know... but really? I love these things!