I’ve never considered myself a runner – in fact I was downright afraid of pounding pavement with no gear but my own two feet. So when I signed up for the Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back, my nerves were on high alert from the first day of training until I took off on my first leg of the relay. I was a Ragnar rookie, roped in by enthusiastic friends and my wife who ran the relay last year. I needn’t have worried. Ragnar was fun and not as hard as I had feared.
The Wasatch Back relay is the original Ragnar race. Not only is it the first, but may even be the largest relay in the country. The course stretches over 192 miles from Logan to Park City on the backroads of the Wasatch Mountains. Over 12,000 runners and 6,000 vans make the trip, leap-frogging each other over 36 legs shared by 12-person teams. The Ragnar Relay sells out every year to crazy runners who crave the lack of sleep, constant running, and comaraderie amongst friends in very close quarters for almost two days straight… without showering.
I was a part of Team Chafing More Tail, a hodgepodge of runners and not-so-much-runners like me. Due to my inexperience, I chose to be runner #5 in Van 1, where I could be with my wife, friends and co-workers. Being runner #5 also meant I had less miles to run over the course of three legs (only around 14) but my first leg was a doozy: Avon Pass.
Leg 5 – Avon Pass:
Avon Pass has been my nemesis since I signed up in November. I trained, knowing that I would have to run up this monster for my first leg. When it was finally my turn to run, I stretched, tried deep breathing, and attempted to relax. Then, somehow, an entire lifetime of running avoidance was terminated when I begrudgingly took the slap bracelet from my teammate and ran up the gravel road. Avon Pass was hard work. I had to ascend 7.4 miles of dirt road over a 1,210 foot gain in elevation. The race notes describe this leg as, “very hard.”
But despite the constant choking on dust kicked up by support vans that were always alongside me, along with the steep grade that never seemed to let up, I was taken in by the view of Utah’s northern mountains. Our wet spring kept the scenery green and cool, and snow still covered the peaks around Powder Mountain and and the Northern Wasatch. I breathed high-country air and felt the sun on my skin. I stopped thinking about running and simply ran. I actually had fun, as much “fun” as running can be I suppose. For a non-runner like myself, Avon Pass was a beast. But I felt like I did pretty good, passing 73 runners and maintaining a 8:11 minute/mile pace for a total time of 1 hour, 3 minutes.
Leg 17 – Morgan to East Canyon:
After finishing my hardest leg of the race first thing, the next two legs felt easy in comparison. In fact, running flat ground through the town of Morgan, then along the highway to the start of East Canyon via Richville, was more akin to a training run in my Salt Lake neighborhood. The sun was setting as I started the run, which cast a nice light over the Morgan Valley. Exiting the town, the road meandered into farm country, where horses grazed in fields and children set up juice stands in front of their houses to slake runner’s thirst and give high-fives.
The country setting, easy running and valley views at sunset made this leg memorable. The easy grade also allowed me to open up the throttle and run a bit faster than Avon Pass would allow. In all, I ran 4.2 miles in 35 minutes, maintaining a 7:20 minute/mile pace.
Leg 29 – Entering Heber City:
The final leg was by far the easiest distance-wise, but was a bit harder than the previous one thanks to a couple hill sections that got the heart rate going. The course started just outside Heber City, followed along the highway for a bit, then turned into a neighborhood where people waved to runners from their porches. I did this leg around mid-morning when Heber was waking up, and the sun was shining on the side of Mount Timpanogos across the valley.
Crossing the exchange and handing off the slap bracelet meant I was finished running for the relay, but I felt like I could have run even more if my legs would let me. Truth is, I was spent. Overall, I kept my pace on this leg as well, clocking in at 3.44 miles in 25 minutes for a pace of 7:21 miles/minute.
Looking back, I can now see what the big deal is with the Ragnar Wasatch Back, and why people keep running it every year. But for me, the experience wasn’t marked by the runs. Rather, the Ragnar Relay is more memorable because of the time spent with friends and family. The moments I enjoyed most was watching my wife and friends come running into exchanges in bursts of exuberance after a long run, or ringing cow bells at them as we passed by in the van. Or perhaps my best memory will be zonking out under the stars at the Oakley rodeo grounds in the freezing night with the nearly full moon illuminating a surreal cluster of sleeping bags spread on the lawn.
Will I do the Ragnar Wasatch Back again? I’m unsure. While it was a memorable experience, I still don’t think the act of running is “fun” so to speak. But if one of my friends starts up another team and tries to rope me into it again, I think it will be pretty hard to say no.
Oh, and the absence of beer at the finish line really, really sucked. Ragnar organizers better correct that next year.
A lot of factors got me through the Ragnar Wasatch Back, including some of the gear I used and food I ate. Here are some products that were a tremendous help through the course of the relay:
Honey Stinger Energy Gels: 15 minutes before my legs, I would eat one of these energy gels for a quick boost. They taste awesome, like pure honey in a packet, only these guys pack a bit more punch than just honey with added vitamins and such. Love them!
Honey Stinger Waffles: Again with the Honey Stinger! What can I say, I can’t get enough of them. The waffles are my favorite energy bar out there right now, and munching on these was tasty and easy to keep down between runs. Of course, they taste great, like stroop waffles from Belgium.
Stoic Merino 150 Crew: I’ve been really digging merino wool these days, so I ran with the Stoic Merino 150 Crew on all of my legs. I love the feel of pure merino against my skin, and its natural wicking abilities kept me cool and dry.
Suunto t3d Heart Rate Monitor and Watch: This training device from Suunto went everywhere with me while training for Ragnar and running the race itself. The Suunto t3d was vital in keeping me motivated and informed of my training progress, and the heart rate belt was comfortable to wear, even on long, sweaty runs.
Suunto Foot POD Mini: Along with the t3d, I used the Suunto Foot POD mini to keep track of my mileage and average speed. It was very important to measure my pace while running the Ragnar Relay, and it weighs nothing.
Asics GT-2160 Road-Running Shoes: These shoes were my saviors when I started to get stress fractures while training. They solved my foot pain, and continued to be my partners all through the Ragnar Relay. The comfort, stability and performance of these shoes is unmatched when running on pavement and I highly recommend them.
For more information about the Ragnar Relay, visit www.ragnarrelay.com
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