Yep, I have done a Ragnar.It wasn't planned at all. A good friend of my girlfriend's was visiting from Minnesota and she happened to mention that they were doing a Ragnar relay in two weeks. I jumped at the opportunity: "Do you need a runner?" As chance would have it, they needed one and they accepted me into their team at the last minute.
If you don't know how it works, a Ragnar Relay is a 200-ish mile race, run in 36 legs. A regular team has 12 people. Runner #1 starts running at the assigned start time, hands the baton (a slap bracelet in this case) to Runner #2, then #3, #4 and so on until #12. Everyone ends up running 3 times for a total distance of 10-20 miles. If you can't field a team of 12 or lose runners to injury, some team members run extra legs. Finally, those looking for a real challenge start with 6 runners as an "ultra" team.
The non-running members of the team and the supplies that will keep them alive, comfortable and minimally stinky are transported between exchange points in vans. Generally two vans per team, 6 runners per van.
For the common marathoner, the Ragnar distance may not seem extraordinary, but the race is not to be
taken lightly.
First of all, each leg is 4 to 8 miles. So, you end up going harder than you would have if you were running them all at once. At least you do so, if this is your first Ragnar. Without any means of judging my level of fatigue and recovery, I went out a bit fast in the first two legs and I was completely depleted for the third run.
Second challenge is the wait. After each run you have hours of off time and about half of those hours are spent on the van, while you are carrying the other five members of the team from point to point. To give you an idea I was listening to a podcast from the website Endurance Planet and their ultra-runner, Lucho, who just finished the Leadman series in record time, mentioned that he won't race a relay mainly because of all the waiting.
Third is the sleep deprivation. I gotta admit that it makes the non-running hours pretty entertaining, but can't say the same about the run. Ragnar kindly provides sleeping areas, so you can catch a short nap when you van is inactive.
And finally, when you run 200 miles you are bound to hit some hills. Those were fun.
That being said, a Ragnar was a great way to spend the weekend. I got to spend a day and a half with fellow running nerds, which is always fun (hi, team Shake and Bake!); ate junk food without much guilt; slept on the floor of a high school gym with dozens of fellow runners; spent time by the Great River (Mississippi) in the tiny towns of Pepin (pictured above) and Stockholm (you guys need to keep your coffee shops open a bit later!); greeted a new day in the middle of nowhere in Wisconsin (you can see me modeling the nighttime safety gear on top); got myself an industrial strength medal/bottle opener (seen in the picture below, next to a gel packet for comparison and that thing is solid metal. I was worried they would take it away at the airport) and got in some great tempo/hill work, which I would never have done on my own.
We recovered with a giant breakfast in St. Paul, a nap at our team leaders' home, some beers and pizza at the Ragnar finish line, followed by another nap and some more beers. I am sure one of these days I will get back to my normal sleep schedule.
A Ragnar (or similar relay) should be on every runner's bucket list. Now that I am done with the regular race, I have the ultra version on my list.
And finally, Shake and Bake team, good job!
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