Last year’s experience running Ragnar DC with my Cruiser friends was something like I’d never experienced before and I knew that I had to return!  And return I have – twice.  In June, I joined my MRTT team for Ragnar Trail Appalachians WV, and just last week I joined Moms RUN This Ragnar (again, my MRTT team) for a second go at Ragnar DC for a quick little overnight 200’ish-mile jaunt (204.2 miles to be exact) from Cumberland, MD to Washington, DC.

2015RagnarDCCourseMap
 

Once again I was in Van 2; however, I switched from Runner 8 to Runner 12.  Bill was Runner 12 last year, so before and after the race it was fun comparing notes with him.

After stalking the weather for a week, my Van 2 teammates and I met at our team captain Amanda’s house for a 7:30 AM departure on Friday morning.  Imagine this amount of gear times six runners, plus those six runners and one driver, and you’ll have a better sense of how crowded our van became.

2015RagnarDCGearPacked
 

Since it was raining, we skipped decorating the van with the hopes of finding a dry spot later.  Just a few miles out from our destination point, we pulled into a vacant bay at a gas station and got to work.  We each had a laminated photo and made squares for checking off each of our legs after we finished.  We never got to that, though, because our markers ran with all of the rain.  It was rather sad looking by the time we were finished with our race.

2015RagnarDCVan2Decorated
2015RagnarDCVan2Team
 

Before I get ahead of myself, let’s back up to Friday afternoon when Van 1 took off for Cumberland in hopes of getting a good night’s sleep before their 5:45 AM start.

2015RagnarDCVan1Collage

Photo courtesy of Jennifer

 

Once our teammates checked into their hotel, I’m sure many shenanigans ensued.  Van 1 was made up of some seriously fun ladies, and I’m bummed that we didn’t have more time to spend together.

2015RagnarDCVan1Ladies

Photo courtesy of Jennifer

 

Bright and early on Friday, while Van 2 was just waking up, our Van 1 teammates arrived at the race start in Cumberland and prepared to run!

2015RagnarDCRagnarStart

Photo courtesy of Celine

 

While the orange Ragnar slap bracelet was working its way from Runner 1 to Runner 6, both vans were working their way toward our first major exchange in Little Orleans, MD. 

2015RagnarDCVicki

Photo courtesy of Jennifer

2015RagnarDCKatieRunningLeg3

Photo courtesy of Jennifer

 

Katie even earned a special medal for tackling and owning the 7.8-mile hill (above) on her first leg. 

2015RagnarDCKatieWithLeg3Medal

Photo courtesy of Jennifer

 

Once arriving at Exchange 6 in Little Orleans, MD, first on our checklist was hitting up the mandatory safety video.  Corny, but cute, it covered the various rules for us to adhere to for the following 36 hours.

2015RagnarDCSafety
 

With all of our check-in items completed, it was time to get Kim ready for her first leg.  A little hairspray to keep the fly-a-ways under control, and she was ready!  But don’t let the hairspray fool you, this mama can run!

2015RagnarDCKimHairSpray
 

Once we heard our team number 18 called over the loudspeaker, Kim made her way to the exchange chute to wait for Runner 6 Misty to come in for the exchange.  A quick slap of the wrist band and Kim was off!

2015RagnarDCMistyHandoffToKim
 

Before we headed off to chase down Kim and get Amanda ready for her first run, we got a quick team picture.

2015RagnarDCWholeTeamMinusKim

Photo courtesy of Amanda

 

We said our goodbyes to Van 1, and we were off!

Stay tuned for more pictures, commentary, elevation charts, pace charts, and much, much more tomorrow!

Editor’s note: Click here for Part 2.

 

  • Questions:
  • Have you ever run Ragnar DC, another Ragnar, or similar relay?
  • What time of day do you prefer to run? ~ Early morning for me!
  • Did you race this past weekend?