Three weeks after I broke my hand I ran my first Ragnar Wasatch Back. I really had no idea what to expect and I was so nervous. Here's a quick summary as my friend Karla put it...
"197 miles, 2 vans, 2 days, no sleep, little food, sore legs, no showers. But we finished and we triumphed! And we were smiling at the end."
We got to the race start at Utah State University in Logan around 4:30 am on June 15th and took a picture while we waited in one of many lines.
No one in our van had ever run this race before and we didn't know what to expect. Our first near mistake was not getting to the start early enough. We thought an hour would be enough time but it turned out we barely got our first runner, Kelly, ready before her start time of 5:30 am.
In fact, we got her there 27 seconds before the gun went off.
Whew, here we go. We decided to be extra cautious and follow all the route signs and do everything our little race bible told us to do. The rest of the race went much more smoothly.
For my first leg I met runner 5 at the top of Avon pass.
I had a small climb and then 4 miles with a 1200 foot descent. That was crazy.
I wish I had paused to take some of my own pictures. The view was amazing. But I spent most of my time watching my feet so I wouldn't roll my ankle on the many rocks in the road.
My total run was 6.5 miles. I made pretty good time but was super hot at the end. I was the last runner in our van so we headed to the next transition area to rest and cool off. It was hard to get up early but I was very glad we weren't running in the heat of the day.
My second run started that same night at 10 pm. After getting up at 3:30 pm and resting for a short time in a small strip of shade at Snow Basin I wasn't sure I could make myself go the 8.5 miles with an 800 foot climb. Surprisingly, though, once I got started I felt pretty good. There was an amazing sense of camaraderie with the other runners. I had fun watching their glow sticks and having brief conversations as we passed each other in the dark. My only regret was not communicating better with my van and having them wait for me at the half way point. They were so tired they headed to the next transition to wait for me and catch some sleep. I don't blame them but I felt pretty lonely. Good thing I had my phone, though. Ryan was a trooper getting a phone call at 11 pm and he really buoyed me up.
The only other problem I had was completely my fault. Half a mile from the end of my run both of my legs cramped up. I wasn't sure I could even walk the pain was so bad. I realized I was an idiot for not drinking my water and eating my Gu. I never go that far without supplements and this is the price I paid. I cried and limped my way up the last hill. Somehow that loosened up my muscles enough that I was able to run in to pass off the baton. Then I just stood there and cried until Kelly came to find me. I was depleted, more than just physically.
We caught a few hours of sleep at some fairgrounds somewhere. At that point I was so out of it I had no idea where I was. I was sore and sick to my stomach the next morning but I only had 2.5 miles to go for my last run. I knew I could do it.
It was a hot morning in Heber but I made good time and finished.
It felt so good to be done. We just needed to wait for van 2 at the finish line.
I loved the ladies in my van, Heather, Andrea, Karla, Tara, and Kelly. Each of them were so amazing. Everyone had something they struggled with but overcame in order to get through all three of their runs. I gained a new respect and admiration for each one of them.
By the time van 2 came in, around 6 pm Saturday, we were showered and rested and I was able to reflect a little on what we had just done. It's so hard to describe an experience like this. Words like amazing just don't seem to fit. It was challenging and exhilarating, hilarious and sickening. Your mind and your body go through the worst and the best all in less than 48 hours. I couldn't wait to do it again.
Our team Girls Just Wanna Go Run: Denise, Tara, Rochelle, Andrea, Kelly, Wendi, me, Jill, Krista, Amber, Karla, and Heather.
It took our team 37:01:24.9 hours to finish the race. The nice thing about this race though is that it isn't about the time it's just about the accomplishment. Sure, there are teams out there who fly by you in the night. But most are made up of people just like us, out to have an amazing experience.
