The Ragnar Relay--a long-distance relay race franchise named for a Norse god--is for at least two types of people: 1. the clinically insane and 2. those willing to court insanity because, well, we're taking one for the team. Ben is pretty sure we belonged to both categories at some point during our recent running of the Wasatch Front version of the Ragnar Relay, 192 miles through the breathtakingly beautiful mountain valleys of northern Utah.
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| Kourtney and Ben right before our last legs (literally) |
Our team of thirteen people (twelve required; we had one extra who subbed as needed) separated into two vans, taking turns running and breaking. Our team, "Running Just as Fast as We Can," tried to do just that. I think our team placed 373 out of 713 in our division, or just under 10 minute miles for 192 miles in a row. Ben and I were runners eight and nine, so we were in van two. We shared the van with my cousin Sabrena (who was four months pregnant!), her husband Danny, and their friends Boyd and Brooke. Kelcie, the unsung team hero, served as our team's Ragnar volunteer, saving us heightened entrance fees and costing her a night's sleep.
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| Van 2, minus Brooke who was running over the mountain to Park City |
I chose our running positions so that we would be running near my parents' house in Midway. I figured the kids would easily be able to cheer us on this way.
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| Elliot, grandma (holding Addie), Gabe, Eve, and grandpa waiting along the route |
As it turned out, our estimated time for Ben to be running past their place was way off. He was about ten minutes earlier than our most conservative estimate, so they missed each other entirely. Speed demon Ben.
After Ben hauled his final leg, a six mile sprint through Midway (at roughly 7.2-minutes per mile pace), he handed the slap bracelet off to me at the foot of the mountain. I had just finished saying "He should be getting here in about ten or fifteen minutes" when Danny, our teammate (and my cousin-in-law), said, "Look, here comes Ben!" I thought he was joking, but sure enough, there was Ben. You can see the interchange here.
Even my three mile hike halfway up the 3,000 ft mountain elevation change was, shall we say, fun. My team was there for half of that leg, pacing alongside me in the van, handing me Gatorade, cold washcloths, and squirting cold water on my sweaty face. I have never been so beat as I was running up that mountain, but it was so satisfying. [Ben: Look, Kourtney is underselling her awesomeness. She ran up a super steep mountain road for over three miles, passing all sorts of overheated runners and vehicles in the process. Super woman.]
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| The road sign toward the foot of the mountain. I did my best to heed the speed limit. |
My dad, Krista, and some of the kids managed to get their van through the barricades and cheer me on for that leg. Krista joined me on the run for a mile or so, which really buoyed my spirits. She also ran a mile for our team in runner ten's position (semi-legal but we weren't out, or about, to win any awards...).
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| The top of the mountain was covered in snow. Here is Boyd in his 80's outfit. |
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| Our 2011 Ragnar Team, circa 1985 |
Our Tiffany-inspired name "Running Just as Fast as we Can" and outfits from the 80s were fun, but paled in comparison to some of the themes other vans had. There were the "Censored" ladies who wore skin-colored body suits with black rectangular signs that said "CENSORED" over their, uh, censored areas. There was the sports' equipment store's team, where each runner had to carry an item from their store while running (we saw a guy with a fully-assembled tent on him and a guy carrying a snowboard, for example). There were the "Lava Ladies" with the logo "Slow but hot." There was the Monty Python team, who put giant rabbit ears on their van and stood on the side of the road clapping coconuts together as you ran by. There were the superhero men, who wore tight, white tanktops and boxers with various superheroes' logos front and center. There was a lot of obnoxiousness for sure, but everyone gets their kicks in different ways I guess. Ben and I were glad to have the chance to join Sabrena's team and participate. It was a fun, grueling, and memorable 30+ hours. Ben and I each ran about seventeen miles divided into three chunks over the course of about twenty-five hours (with our last leg being through Midway). Ben's longest leg was 7.2 miles; mine was 10. We ran some of the most beautiful runs of our lives; the best were, we think rather masochistically, in the middle of the night. My ten-miler was along the bank of Echo Lake at 3 am. When would I ever get the chance to do that if it weren't for this race? This, I decided, is the ultimate justification for paying money in order to spend two days driving, waiting, and running. It was like being on a long road trip but the climax was that you got to get out and run while your teammates waited for you in the car at your finish line. Sure it was crazy. It was also incredibly fun.
And, I am pleased to say, after some stretching and sleep, I was hardly worse for the wear. Ben did pretty well too, although the bottoms of his feet were basically one big blister--the result of his not breaking in his new Vibrams before running 10+ miles in them. But, like I said, overall it was a pretty fantastic experience.
And, I am pleased to say, after some stretching and sleep, I was hardly worse for the wear. Ben did pretty well too, although the bottoms of his feet were basically one big blister--the result of his not breaking in his new Vibrams before running 10+ miles in them. But, like I said, overall it was a pretty fantastic experience.
