We started off our adventure by packing everything as neatly as possible while living in a big white van with 7 people ... 6 of whom are runners and will probably start to smell after a few hours!!
6 different running outfits .. All Oiselle of course!! Then I crammed everything into Ziploc bags to minimize stink after my sweat legs of the race!
We all met at Dave's house and loaded up in our van:
Team Glutiators on our way to get our final teammate Laura!!!
I LOVE this girl!! She is such a blast and so positive it is contagious!!
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| :Laura rocking the night gear! |
It was about a 4-5 hour drive from here to our hotel in Frostburg, MD since we made a few pit stops (yummy dinner and Joanne Fabrics for much needed van accessories )!! We settled in to our hotel and tried to get a good night sleep since we would be living in a van for the next 24+ hours!!
Our mascot Steve!!!!
Our start time wasn't until 12:30 on Friday so we had plenty of time to get up, eat, decorate and head to the start of the race. Team Glutiators ready to rock ... John was runner #1 and I was runner #2 .. our first transition was super easy since leg 1 was around the lake and the transition was right across from the start!
John set the pace and tone for the day ... Looking super strong!
Seriously...started off with a STEEP 2 miles of climbing followed by a wicked downhill!
Trying to stay calm before my first run!
I was really leery on how well organized this race would be considering it is 200.5 miles long and starts in Cumberland, MD and runs to the National Harbor in DC. I was pleasantly surprised with it! I honestly think we had such a smooth time with logistics and exchanges because of our amazing driver, Byron aka JUICY!!
I was super excited to see my team at the end of my first leg!! Laura was runner #3 and her first run was the HARDEST leg of the entire race! 1700 ish elevation gain ... it was such a difficult leg that the runners all got a belt buckle at the end of that leg!
Laura KILLING that beast!
Dave was runner #4 .. he is a SUPER speedster and nailed every single leg he had!
Then runner #5 was Jen W.... climbing that dirt road to her first exchange.
Our final runner #6 was Jenn B ... She had the highest mileage with one of her legs being 11+ miles!
But she is a superstar and flew through her legs!
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| #BEASTMODE |
Our team worked really well together .. we all encouraged and supported each other and made sure everyone had what they needed. Right before my 2nd leg ( which was called "What the Hill ??" ) I was hitting an energy low and really nervous about how I would climb this mountain :
THANK GOD for my crew because they had a ice cold diet coke waiting for me at the bottom! Also Byron was a miracle worker and helped massage out my angry piriformis!!! I felt a tug and a pop in my left butt cheek/hamstring area as I was climbing that hill.
Also heaven sent is Erin from Lucky Girl Cookies!! Her chocolate gingerbread cookies were the perfect snack and really help stave of the nausea I was having between my runs! The natural ginger was awesome. Look ... how cute are the little sneakers??!!
One of the hardest things for me was nutrition ... I really focused on hydration and did a great job with that but the fuel was much harder for me. I survived off of dark chocolate covered pomegranate and acai berries, organic bread with natural PB, picky bars and pretzels. I had some fierce nausea and the thought of food made it worse. Jenn B. gave me some mint essential oil for my water and that really helped. During my overnight run we stopped in this general store and bought their last case of water, chocolate milk and hot tea ... plus I got a powerball ticket:
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| Sadly it wasn't a winner! |
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| Dave ready to kick asphalt! |
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| Our first leg down! |
Oh yeah ... and to add of "kills" to the window too ... Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture but we had close to 250+!!
One of my favorite highlights was running into my Oiselle teammate Mary:
I LOVE her and her Team Pudding came in 1st Coed 12 person team!!!! ROCK STARS!
Team Glutiators KILLED it too and we place 2nd Ultra team and 16th overall!!!!!!!!!! With a time of 27:25 for 200.5 miles and countless memories made!
Here are some more of my favorite pics:
Representing the Bear Glasgow Y:
My MIZUNO Wave Rider 17's ( I packed 3 pair of mizuno's but stuck witth my riders ) and my Jasyoga legs up:
My final leg completed in the pouring rain with another STEEP mountain to climb the final 2.5 miles!!:
Jen W super happy to be finished her final leg also:
My favorite Superheroes, Jenn B. and Laura!!!!!
While Jenn B ran her final leg of the race we hurried over to the finish line so we could all run Jenn in and cross the line together as Team Glutiators! EPIC experience and I cannot wait to do it again!
I really enjoyed the beer and pizza afterwards and chatting with other teams!
CHEERS RAGNAR to an amazing adventure!
Anyone else ever do a Ragnar Relay?
Happy Running!
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