Gotta Get Up To Get Down: Ragnar Recap (Part 1)

I first heard about Ragnar a year ago, when Team Sparkle was holding a virtual run to benefit their #RagnarforRett Ultra Ragnar team. In case you don't know, Ragnar SoCal is a 190.6 mile relay run that starts in Huntington Beach and goes all the way to San Diego. Most teams have 12 runners to a team and each runner runs 3 legs (runner 1 runs legs 1, 13, and 25, etc). The relay typically takes 25-35 hours or so, and yes, you run in the middle of the night.

I was intrigued by the idea of running a relay, although not totally sold, until Ragnar and the LA Marathon announced that they would be offering a beautiful challenge medal for anyone crazy intense enough to run any Ragnar in 2015 and the 2016 LA Marathon, or the 2016 LA Marathon and either Ragnar SoCal, Los Vegas, or Napa. Well, I couldn't turn down that medal, so I did some searching for a team in need of another runner. I didn't have to look too hard to find Veronica, team captain of team "Gotta Get Up To Get Down", and a Pepperdine alum. After chatting with her about the team and finding that we were still a few runners short, I recruited two high school friends to run with me and started researching everything there was to know about the Ragnar experience.

Fast forward a few months and the day was upon us. I had been battling IT Band issues for over a month, but had cleared with my physical therapist that I wasn't going to do any serious damage by running (although there was a potential it was going to be incredibly painful to run 14 miles over the weekend). Our team had decorated our vans the night before and were armed with 500 magnets with our team logo to tag other vans along the course. Logistics were a little crazy as I had to present at a conference that morning (way to double book yourself, Kelsey). Luckily, the conference was only 20 minutes away from the first major exchange, Exchange 6 (where the last runner in Van 1 hands off to the first runner in Van 2). I was the 12th and final runner for our team, so my vanmates were going to swing by to get me before heading to Exchange 6.

We used almost every last magnet in tagging vans throughout the weekend

The second my presentation finished, I darted to the bathroom, changed into outfit 1 of 3, and booked it out to the curb to wait for the van. When I jumped in the van, I met a few teammates who hadn't been at the van decorating the night before and off we went to Exchange 6.

After sitting through a terribly boring safety lecture (I mean, it was probably helpful for those people who hadn't read the "Race Bible" but as I had read it front to back on multiple occasions, I was already set), we got our t-shirts and bibs and milled around, checking out booths (and I stocked up on Nuun). Soon we got the heads up from Van 1 that our runner 6, Matthias, was closing in on the exchange and that Adam needed to be ready to receive the baton (which is actually a fairly awesome orange slap bracelet).

When Adam took off, it was ON! Adam's leg was pretty long and did not allow van support (aka us getting out to cheer along the course), so us in Van 2 took it as an opportunity to go grab a real meal and take it easy on our way over to Exchange 7.

Adam warming  up for his first leg at Exchange 6

Even though I had just met several of my vanmates for the first time (and I was in a van with only guys, Adam, Christopher, Sykes, Sean, and Bruce), we bonded quickly and shenanigans ensued throughout the whole weekend. At Exchange 10, Bruce decided that there was no way that he wanted to run in safety gear (a reflective vest, headlamp, and taillight were required between the hours of 6:15pm and 7am), and swore that he could run his 8 mile leg in 55 minutes so as to come in right before 6:15. Sure enough, he put on the speed and after being catcalled by our van "BRUCE YOUR THIGHS ARE ON POINT" and taunted with safety gear along his leg, came in right around 6:10pm, slapping the bracelet on my wrist for my first leg (fully decked out in all of my reflective glory).

Ready to run! (with my super cute reflective gear and ankle tracker)

My leg (Leg 12) was the last leg before a big gap in the route south, due to not  being able to run through Camp Pendleton. So while my leg would end at Doheny Beach in Dana Point, our next runner would take off from a middle school in Oceanside, some 40 miles away. Our runner would be notified when I was about a quarter of a mile from the end of my leg, thanks to a tracking chip that I would wear for my leg.

I took it easy coming out of the exchange, not knowing how long I would hold up before running into knee pain. My leg was 4 miles, which would have been a breeze on any other day, but of course this injury wasn't going to make the experience easy. I made it a mile into the leg without much discomfort, but I could feel the muscle tensing up and it quickly turned into a nagging pain. Luckily, most of my leg was downhill and easier to handle than having to pull myself uphill. The last mile was marred by stoplights, and I was incredibly thankful when I got to the timing mat that would notify Van 1 that I was getting close to then end. I cruised into Doheny State Beach in relief, but after I stopped moving, I found it almost impossible to bend my knee. NOT GOOD.

Not a bad view!

Since this post has been plenty long for everyone, I'll continue in Part II.