Ragnar: Bad Anderson Style

After 34 hours 33 minutes and 59 seconds our family had completed the Wasatch Back.

What a feat!

What a great race this was.  I loved running with a team.
Cheering each other on and expecting great things of yourself and others was inspiring.

Van 2 had the luxury of not starting our run until Friday afternoon.  We decorated the van with markers, signed in and waited for the arrival of Van 1.

Van 1 minus me. Pre-race

It just so happened that when Van 1 showed up Jen and I had painted our toenails very similarly.

We all rode in Tristan and Molly's van.
Tristan was a great "Rag Dad".  He happy to drive, a great navigator, and stayed up through the night to ensure we all could sleep without worrying about leaving on time.  I love the way Tristan puts others before himself.

This was one of the more exciting hand-offs.  John's first run. He was in "the zone", ready to go! However he followed the orange barricades and ended up going the wrong way right out of the gate.
Molly chased him down in flip-flops running like the wind.  It really was impressive. There was a group of people watching these two.  John couldn't hear her because his music was pumpin'.  She reached him just as Tristan picked them up in the van.  Molly laid in the back of the van with her heart about to beat out of her chest. That girl has some speedy legs.

There were some serious  hills along this route.  Those of us who rode in the car during those hills would cheer on those runners brave enough to face the hill.

Such beautiful scenery along the race.  I loved driving through these tiny towns full of cows and mountains.

As luck would have it the Thorne's friends live in the town we needed to stop in for the night.  We showered, had an early dinner and hit the concrete.  We slept in their unfinished basement.  While we were warm, I think the grass would have been far more forgiving on our hips. Em, John, and I cuddled up to share my pad under our bottoms.  I did get a bit of shut-eye so it was well worth it.

Our second leg of the race began in the middle of the night. It was very cold. I trained through the winter, so this was perfect running weather for me. However, standing out in the cold was miserable as you waited for a run to come in or a runner to leave.  This was my favorite leg for me.  It was a 7 mile downhill run through mountains.  It felt like flying in the night.  I heard streams, and farm animals, but not much else.  I think only 6 or 7 cars passed me.

The real problem we had was when people finished their run in the night.  You were hot and sweaty but your body temperature plummeted about 10 minutes later and you were cold to the core.  The backseat was reserved for recovering runners.  Blankets were piled on and the heat ran on high while others sweated it out trying to warm up the last runner.  Some ended up getting sick to their stomach.  This race is not for the faint of heart.

Molly was our last runner, so she ran as the sun was coming up.  Molly runs the same way she lives her life.  No excuses.  She just gets it done.  
Kenz was our first runner. Here she is during her final leg of this race.  Kenz is a steady runner.  First leg, second leg, or last leg it didn't matter. She just kept running and didn't let anything phase her.

My last leg was by far my most difficult.  It was hot out and I was tired.  It really took everything I had to even walk some portions.  And when I finished things got real difficult.

We began the ascent up the mountain.  This was not a running trail.  This was hiking up a mountain.  Ridiculously steep.  Any runner on this road was cheered and revered.  Em started this portion.(her 2nd leg was 10 miles)  What a tough final leg to run, but when Em puts her mind to something she will stick to it.  She cursed the hill at one point, but she was determined to finish this mountain, and she did.

When we got to the top where John was running this is what we saw; snow. Piles of snow.  Think of the elevation gained. I ran in some serious heat, and 2 runners later there was snow.  John's a very focused runner.  He doesn't let any outside distractions get to him and is able to put everything into the task at hand. He was so fun to watch.

We met up with Van 1 and as soon as we saw our speedy Molly we all ran to cross the finish line together. Dad and Mom were there cheering their hearts out.

Our Ragnar Team minus Wendy.

The nieces who ran.  So proud of these girls!

Van 2's illustrious couple.

Shawn came to watch Em run across that finish line.  So sweet.

Jen's whole family was there to cheer her in.

What a great race (minus the honey buckets).  It was exhilarating.  

I believe we all have potential far beyond what we imagine. 

Sometimes you tap into that a bit and life is so beautiful.