A Team Of Ultra Cool Runners

It’s been almost two months since two teams of four women per team ran Ragnar Trail Richmond Ultra and I think it’s about time that I introduce you to my amazing teammates! If you’ve missed my recaps, you can catch up by clicking on these three links: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. 

Ragnar Trail Richmond was my forth Ragnar, second Ragnar Trail, and first Ragnar Ultra. Previously I had run:

• Ragnar Relay DC
• Ragnar Trail Appalachians WV 
• Ragnar Relay DC

My Ragnar Trail Richmond teammates were just as amazing as all of my previous teammates have been, and I really want to introduce you to these terrific ladies! With two ultra teams buddying up, we actually were two separate teams, but we felt like one. 

Our ultra buddies were:

• Runners 1 – Angela and Jenny
• Runners 2 – Amanda and Kim
• Runners 3 – Deb and Meagan
• Runners 4 – Sarah and Ashley

 

Without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to each of these fun and athletic ladies!

 

Runner 1 – Angela
Angela is one of my early morning training buddies, and Nelson the running dog’s mom. She has run several half marathons and ran her first full marathon just a month prior to Richmond, and as a result was nervous going into the ultra worried that her legs would give out or that she had not trained enough. It turns out, she had trained just fine; however, she did have a pretty bad fall that sidelined her for a few weeks after the relay. Her fall racing schedule includes the Marine Corps Marathon, Bridge of the Gods Half in Oregon, and perhaps an ultra at the end of the year. 

Runner 1 – Jenny 
Richmond was both Jenny’s first Ragnar and first ultra. She agreed to run the race following a runner’s high while training for last year’s Marine Corp Marathon. She loved the whole Ragnar trail experience, and says she would love to do it again. Jenny did a month of PT after Ragnar to become a stronger, more stable runner. She’s currently training far the Loudoun 20K and the Prince William Half.

Runner 2 – Amanda
Amanda is currently training for the Baltimore Marathon this fall. She was super nervous about being on an ultra team, which is of course, is why she ran it. Ultra runners love a challenge, and even though Amanda was nervous, she shouldn’t have been because she’s got five marathons and the Seashore Nature Trail 50K under her belt.

 

Runner 2 – Kim 
This was Kim’s second Ragnar (first trail). She says that she is easily persuaded by peer pressure, so she figured the ultra was the way to go. Having just completed three strong marathons, Ragnar Trail Richmond Ultra seemed like a good next challenge. Kim is currently training for her third MCM in the fall. Kim says she might have been more worried about the camping than the running, though it probably should have been the other way around given all the falls she took.

Runner 3 – Deb
I have a race or two under my belt (click here to see the list), and have plans to run in a few 5K’s, a 20K, and Ragnar DC this fall.

 Runner 3 – Meagan
Meagan says, “I was nervous going into this, having run my first ultra just three weeks prior. But I was excited to try out the new Ragnar location and I was looking forward to hanging with MRTT again and running with Deb. It was an epic weekend and now I’m looking ahead to more trail adventures of the ultra variety in the future!” One of those ultras just happened to be this past weekend. Yep, Meagan ran the Eastern Divide 50K on Saturday!

Runner 4 – Sarah
Sarah ran Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back just last weekend, and plans to run Ragnar DC on an Ultra team in September making that her seventh Ragnar DC. In addition to her many Ragnar Relays, Sarah ran the North Face DC 50K in April, has run eleven marathons, five halves, and one Dopey Challenge.

Runner 4 – Ashley 
Ragnar Richmond was Ashley’s first Ragnar and first ultra race. She loved the entire experience and is totally hooked. She just ran the EX2 Adventure Half; and has plans to run Ragnar DC, the Diva Half, the Richmond Marathon and the Seashore Nature Trail 50k this fall. This year Ashley is hoping to run more trails with her MRTT friends.

Our Ragnar experience was enhanced by the fun and friendship provided by our two Ragnar Trail Richmond regular teams. Altogether we had twenty-four fun-loving MRTT runners and two gracious volunteers making for a very fun two-day overnight camping adventure. 

Ragnar isn’t for everyone, but if you enjoy pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone this is a great way to do it. Finding teammates as wonderful as these ladies will make it all the more fun! 

 

• Questions:
• Do you prefer running with friends or alone?
• Have you ever run a Ragnar Relay or Ragnar Trail, or similar relay?
• If you haven’t run an ultra, do you have any interest? If you have run an ultra, which ones?