I just participated in my first RAGNAR Great River Relay. For those not familiar with it, RAGNAR Great River Relay starts downriver in Winona, MN and finishes in downtown Minneapolis, covering 196 miles, most of it along the bluffs and valleys of western Wisconsin. Team "The IT Band" started running at 7:30 AM on Friday, and wrapped it up Saturday around 2:30 PM. There were 288 teams, and about 3000 runners.
I ran legs 6 (7.6 miles), 18 (4.6 miles), and 30 (4.3 miles). Hardest leg: #6. They ranked it “very hard”; it was. It was in the middle of the day, blazing sun, brand new black asphalt, and lots of hills! Very tough. Best leg: #18. Middle of the night, very cool, very quiet, and just a little rain. On the night legs, every runner wears a flashing red light on their back; it was a beautiful sight when I crested a hill and saw a long line of blinking red lights stretched out over a mile in front of me, moving slowly down toward the transfer point. One of my most enjoyable runs in a long time.
RAGNAR is as much about sleep deprivation as it is about running. You survive on junk food and adrenaline for 30 hours, and let's face it, everybody smells bad. Fortunately, one of the transfer points is Stillwater Junior High. They open the locker rooms for showers, and the gyms for sleeping. The shower was great! We crashed in the gym for about 3 hours after my middle-of-the-night leg, but were up at 5:30 AM to start all over again.
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So why do RAGNAR Relay? Because it was fun, and challenging! I enjoyed the camaraderie with 11 other team members to achieve a common goal, as well as a new personal goal. I am already thinking I'll sign up again next year. If you're looking for a new challenge, I recommend this as one to consider.
See you in the middle of the pack.