This was by far the best Ragnar I've ran. I've had great courses and OK vans and great vans and OK courses. Del Sol had a mixture of both with perfect weather that culminated into a wonderful experience with very little suffering.
I had very little mileage. When I signed up I wasn't sure how my foot would be doing so I only ran 11.1 miles. Lame. I know. Thank you injury.
My friend Jen from 3 previous Ragnars stepped up to be a team captain and we just found another 6 people that were willing to get together for a full team. It turned out great, but there was a lot of backing out and cancelling. Every Ragnar I am a part of I learn something from. This one was, if you back out within 3 weeks of the race, you find another runner or loose your money. Cancellations always brings an extra cost to the other runners.
Heather was there running with my three favorite amigos. If we would have been thinking we would have put our teams together.
Arizona had had a cold spell and so the high's were in the 60's - 70's so the natives were freezing. We were dancing in shorts and tanks. At night it cooled down to the 30's (welcome to the desert!).
Van 1 started at 530 am and they had to be at the starting line at 430 am. Brrrrr....Rockstars!
Everyone's first leg was pretty long. By the time I started my first leg it was almost 7pm. I started out in night gear! It made for a pretty long day of getting anxious to run!
Right out of the gate I felt great! I couldn't believe it. I actually slowed myself down thinking I wouldn't have anything at the end but I did! I love running in strong and fast, gives the run a bad ass vibe. I ran my usual 5 minutes and walked for 1 minute. I still came in strong and even beat my team! The other van was nice enough to walk me to where our van was. Or was that after my next leg? Obviously not a big deal!
Second leg was at 450 am. When I finished the sun was just thinking about lighting up the sky.
A little slower for sure, but I still felt pretty good. The run was .25 miles longer then stated which makes the last part drag!
We were able to go back to the hotel in between all of our legs and get a few hours of shut eye which really helped our mood. Nicole was especially thankful for the shower.
Third leg was the hardest.
teehee
It was actually a fantastic run! My foot hurt a little, but no more then usual. I think I am getting use to just ignoring it. The course weaved through awesome parks along lakes and the last stretch was along Tempe Town Lake across the bridge and into the park. It was perfect! My team could see me and they were ready to party. No congestion and plenty of room. It was the best!
Close
Closer
Almost there!!
We ended the race with a team picture, cookies and some icing.
Thanks to my great friend Jen for putting this all together. For Ken, Ashley, Nicole and Kirk for making it yet another successful and somewhat inappropriate Ragnar!
Jen + Kathee + Ragnar finish = BadAss
Next Post......the People of Ragnar Del Sol........
What is your favorite race?
Do you like relays? Ever tried one?
There is opening for the Epic race I'm going in August. Logan to Tetons, there is two openings in my van if your interested. I do not know anyone else that is running, but I'm sure by the end we will be best friends!
Blog on...............
PS: Thanks friends for sharing your pictures!
I want to do one of these so badly!! In Arizona would be cool too. Great job! And it looks like you had fun too. Bonus!
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