Race Preview: DC Ragnar Relay

Over the last 4 1/2 years as VP of the NOVA Running Club, many members have heard me talk about the Ragnar Relay race (www.ragnarrelay.com/race/dc/), which is probably my favorite running event to participate in nowadays.  The Ragnar Relay hosts ~200-mile relay races all over the U.S., but I've only ever been able to compete in the DC race.  It starts in Cumberland, MD and ends at the National Harbor, MD.  The race is run by either 6-person (ultra) or 12-person teams and is split into 2 vans for the 12-person team.  The race is continuous, meaning there are no breaks overnight, so it's a mad dash to the finish.  Teams begin at the starting line anywhere before dawn on a Friday morning and finish sometimes after midnight, late Saturday night. This year's race will be Friday, October 4th - Saturday, October 5th.  Van 1 kicks off the event in Cumberland, MD and each runner has a leg of the race to run with designated exchanges where a reflective slap-bracelet is handed-off.  At Exchange 6, Van 2 meets up with Van 1 and begins the same process for legs 7-12.  This process is repeated twice more for each van.  While Van 2 is out running, Van 1 figures out what they'll do for the next 6 hours until it’s their turn to run again.  Some teams (like mine) go find dinner and check into a hotel for showers and to stretch out.  Van 2 usually finishes their first set of legs after dark and then they either head to the hotel or figure out some other way to pass the time.  The 2nd set of legs for both vans (legs 13-18 for Van 1 and legs 19-24 for Van 2) are completed almost entirely in the dark.  Van 2 usually rounds out their 2nd set of legs at daybreak.  By that time, you've probably had a Big Mac because you were so desperate for protein and are feeling a bit crazy.  New, weird phrases and words are created and this is the time when your mentally stability really gets tested.  By the time Van 1 sets out on their last and final set of legs, there is a renewed sense of excitement because you know you're in the homestretch and realize this crazy experience will be over before you know it.  The finish line at National Harbor is quite an exhilarating experience.  There are large crowds, group finish line photos, and usually free pizza and beer for the team.  At this point, all you can think about is going home to shower and hibernate for the next 12+ hours, but at the same time you are savoring every last moment of this intense event.  It really changed my perspective on team events and it's something I look forward to all year.

At Exchange 2, I start off on the hardest leg of the entire - 8 miles up a mountain, in which I was awarded a belt buckle at the next exchange!

If you've never participated in this type of overnight endurance event, it may be hard to fathom who is crazy enough to stay up all night to run.  This year's race has 316 teams, so there are well over 3,500 runners participating in the DC race alone.  If you're a runner, you may already be accustomed to being considered crazy, but this takes it to a new level for outsiders looking in.  Putting the crazy aside, it's a serious self-reflection experience that teaches you a lot about your running abilities (and that you can always do more than you think you can), refines your coping skills (how the heck you will make it from 4AM until 4PM the next afternoon), and broadens your horizons on the types of activities that make you keep on running.  In addition to the enlightenment you may receive, you will undoubtedly go home with 11 new friends whom you may find yourself emailing with for the next few weeks out of nostalgia and a longing to be cooped up in a stinky van again.  By the time you've slept off your running hangover and wake up refreshed (and maybe a bit sore) Sunday morning, you realize what an amazing experience the Ragnar Relay is and that you cannot wait to do it again next year... or maybe even before next year and you start looking at the other Ragnar events around the country.

Van 1 from my 2012 DC Ragnar Relay team

Check out Ragnar's other relays on their website: www.ragnarrelay.com.  Team captains are always looking for runners to fill in the last spots on their team. You can sign up on their website to say you're available to be on a team, if you so choose to take on the challenge!

Happy Trails,

-Amanda Williams
NoVA Running Club Vice President