RAGNAR, really?



So we did it. We survived- and like giving birth to a child...I wouldn't do it again...
 but time goes by -you forget the brutalities and think...yeah, I want to do that
 again-it wasn't too bad. Because even though you have nothing to show for
 it-like a child- you have the memories and feeling of accomplishment!  It
 really was a cool
experience.    This is our Van #2 team. (Marty, Jared (my bro.)Ingrid,
 his
 wife, Tiff (my sis) Jim, her husband and Me.)  This is BEFORE we felt like
 death.
 Our team name was the Running A'ss (a donkey was the mascot on our
shirts and decor)...(*disclaimer-I didn't come up with the name...)




Van #1 consisted of my brother Ryan, and his wife Jaimi, my
 cousin Katie, and her husband Kyle, my cousin Jenni and her
 daughter Jesse.  They started in Logan at 6:15 am running
 (each their own leg) to Liberty
 Park in Eden Valley where the first big exchange took place
 and Van
 #2 begins.  I was runner #11 and 4th from my van to run. The left
 pic shows
 my first leg-which was straight up Trappers Loop from Eden side toward
Mtn. Green.  I had a 3.2 mile vertical climb.  It took all of my will power to
 keep trekking up that mountain.  The back-up of cars getting up that mountain
 was pretty bad and I had to wait about 15 min. for my team to catch up so
Marty could take the 'baton'.  This is Tiff and Ingrids' exchange (pic on the
 right).  Their first leg of the race. 




Here he his, my man, running his first leg-continuation of mine up
 into Snow Basin, 4.7 miles.  He did awesome.  He was runner #12
 and final runner from our van.  The next major exchange took place
at Snow Basin where Van #1 took over.



This is after my first leg while Marty was finishing up.  See how happy we are...I could have been done then and called it good...



The bottom right pic is Marty and I and Katie and Kyle at Snow Basin,
 it was such beautiful scenery!  We had a couple hour break while
 Van #1
 did all their 2nd legs.  We decided to make the most of our kid free
time and eat at Taggarts~yum.  We gave Jim (my bro in law) a hard time
about his STEAK
 and FRIES and ROOT BEER (x3) dinner.  How in the H-E- double
 toothpicks
are you going to run 2 more legs...(one of those in the middle of the night) with
 THAT sitting in your belly!?  Sheesh.



This is our middle of the night run.  I started at 3:30 am and ran 5.5
 miles around a damn.  Marty took the 'baton' from me about 4:15 and
ran a 6.9 mile leg-he was amazing and ran it in less than 9 min. miles.  Here
 we are all geared up in the van ready to go.  There is a lot of waiting in
 this race, waiting for your vans turn, waiting for your individual
 turn...it's hard on
your physic.  We had to run with a headlight, butt light and
 reflective vest.
  Jared is trying to get some shut-eye in the drivers
 seat while we are
 parked waiting for Jim to finish.  We only were able to
get bits and pieces
 of sleep during this stretch of time.  After Marty's leg we drove to Park City
 to stay at a time share condo. We were all able to get about a
 good hour of sleep after showering and suffering in the
bathroom
 with runners diarrhea...we cleared a box of
 Imodium in minutes.

This is the following day on our last legs.  Jared doing the hand-off to
 Ingrid and strutting around afterwards because he had an amazing
 run.  7.2 min. miles!  Even after being SO exhausted! 

This was Tiff's last leg and I do not envy her at all.  She had one of the
 hardest runs.  It's wasn't very long...3.3, but it was ridiculous.  NO ONE
was able to run it.  Here Tiff is trying to run.  Look how bad her calves
were burning- and if the sign didn't say it all...! ROUGH STEEP and
 WINDING.  On top of that it was about 100 degrees out.  She was a
 go-getter and did not slow down.



The climate changed drastically as Jim took the 'baton' and ran the rest
 of the uphill trek to the top of Ragnar Run.  All of a sudden we were
surrounded by 4 ft. of snow.  I took my last haul after Jim- 7.3 miles
 and
 my course was the exact opposite of my first run (except even steeper)-
vertical downhill.  I thought it would actually be nice to have gravity on my
 side.
  Whoa was I wrong.  My quads were like steel blocks not wanting to bend or
 work or function.  And it being my 3rd leg without any sleep and wanting to cry,
 it took all I had left to finish the run.  I was able to keep it under a 9 min. mile
 thankfully and sprinted into the 'runway' where Marty was waiting...knowing
 I was completely done.  YEAH.



As Marty came into the last 100 yards of the race,(his last leg was 7.3 miles on an exotic course that went up and down, around and through-he said it was pretty crazy) we were able to join him - as all the teams do- and run the last stretch with him as an entire team of 12 to the finish line.  It was a happy ending to our long, dreary journey. 
We got back to my parents that afternoon.  My Mom and Dad had most the kids (they babysat overnight). My Mom had ordered loads of Papa Murphy's and we all pigged out.  She made up posters and bought balloons and  individual medals for all of us.  She and my Dad were our sponsors-they paid half of everyone's running fee's for the race.  They were so proud of everyone...my dad  actually got emotional about it.  It was a really great thing to be involved in and accomplish, even if it was just once...but I may, just may, do it again.