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Ragnar Trail Relay Appalachians - Run


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Big Bear Lake Camplands, West Virginia
United States
RAGNAR
Overcast
Total Time = 2h 02m 50s
Overall Rank = /
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

RAGNAR road relays are ~200mi. with 12 people going point to point in 2 vans. This was RAGNAR trail, which differs in that it's ~120mi., 8person teams, all running is off-road, done on 3 loops that everyone runs, and you camp during the running.
We had 2 teams of 8, so we needed a big campsite. Our start time (based on estimated pacing) was 5pm Friday (last wave). K, Jeff and I were first to arrive at site. The race was already well underway and the camp was INSANE. Tents and cars everywhere set up in a long line along a gravel road. We hiked past the road and ducked into the woods to find an unclaimed area. I was worried it might turn into a river with any rain, but seemed dry enough and we didn't have a lot of options, so we started dumping stuff, setting up, and claiming spots. Eventually everyone was there and we had our campsite.
We headed over to the race area for our safety briefing 1hr before race time and the skies opened up for Armageddon. Tents were blowing away. Lightning and thunder started and they decided to call a 1hr race stoppage. Current teams racing would stand down for 1hr when their runner finished the current loop and skip their next runner. Teams that didn’t start were postponed until ~6pm. We determined that the safety briefing was not needed and headed back to camp to make sure all was ok. We battened down the hatches a bit, but were ok for the most part. After a few hours of rain, it cleared up and we were underway.

Event warmup:

I was runner #6 and followed Kristine. She was running 4.6mi. yellow loop, so I knew once Leger came back to camp I would have enough time to prepare and head up to the start. Runners were finishing and telling stories of the atrocious trail conditions. Known fast road runners were putting up as much as 12min. miles. I was starting to get nervous, but excited. I prepped my headlamp and strapped my niterider bike light to my forearm so I could hold it in my hand and point it up the trail. I went with shorts and short sleeves, but used a trick I tested in Alaska of wrapping my shoes and ankles in duct tape. It helps with sprains/stability as well as adding a bit of waterproofing and also prevents shoes coming off when sticking in deep mud. Overall a good system. You just have to wrap it right and use body glide to prevent chaffing. I warmed up with a jog up to the camp and started the watch.
The way transitions work is that you hang out at the transition (where they have a band and a fire) and watch a board displaying runners/teams that just crossed the timing mat .2mi. out. Once you see that you have a few minutes to get into the tent and meet your runner. You put a snap bracelet on representing the color of the loop you are starting and then take the bib (with attached chip) from your teammate and off you go.

Run
  • 2h 02m 50s
  • 14.58 miles
  • 08m 25s  min/mile
Comments:

Run #1 (Red loop)
The red loop is the longest and listed as hardest loop. It was a full moon, but essentially it was 11pm and essentially pitch black in the woods. My lighting system worked well through and I took off as fast as I could. The area near the transition was a mess from all loops sharing it, but it turns out it was all a mess. The loop was single track with significantly steep sections. With the rain and all the runners, it was transformed into a 2-6in deep mud trench through the woods. Every step was icy slick and you would only get a solid step every 10 or so steps. The trick I eventually learned was to try to go edge to edge and get some purchase. AS hard and slow as it was though, it could not have been more fun. I was taking bigger risks than I should have, but it was so much fun flying down the trail, jumping off rocks and running at the edge of losing control.
They have an unofficial Ragnar tradition that you count the number of people you pass (deemed as ‘kills’) and the number of people you pass (‘killed’). It’s a bit arbitrary like the RBI stat in baseball since you have to get lucky and have someone in front of you to pass them. It still made for good motivation though and I started hunting down any glimmer of light I saw. To help keep track, I started taking lap splits on my non-Garmin watch, so I never knew for sure where I stood until the end.
The trail dropped down to an area called the ‘swamp trail’ which was just as messy, but had some cool wooden crate-like bridges for stream crossings. The time passed quickly and I finally hit the 1mi. to go sign where the trail merged with some of the other loops. I could hear the finish line and pushed hard. The last thing you do on every loop is go up and over a pedestrian bridge over the road. It’s a great view from the top and then you drop down into the tent to see your teammate (Kim B.) waiting for a transfer. She took to the bib and was off.
I was flying from all the adrenaline. I chatted with Slake (waiting for the other team) and Laura (volunteering) and looked at my watch/Garmin:
59m 49s
6.59 miles
09m 04s /Mi
88 kills, 0 killed

Run #2 (Yellow loop)
I went back and got some sleep after the red loop. I woke up starving ~3am and ate a banana. I woke up again and ate a granola bar, but eventually I got up for good ~6am and hung out with everyone eating breakfast. It was so great hearing all the stories. It was like an Ironman finish but while the race was still going on and you could do something about it! Eventually, Leger came back and I started gearing up for battle. Due to all the delays, it was now 7am and light out, so no more light worries. I put the same shirt, short, shoes, and socks back on. Kind of wet and gross, but seemed to make sense.

The yellow loop was reported to be in better shape and with the light I was able to run a bit harder. I still had to spend a lot of time going trail edge to trail edge and sharp turns were dicey, but I would say 50% of my steps were firm this time! The highlight of this loop was one of the most amazing trail sections I’ve ever seen. It was similar to a trail in Leesburg and has 50 foot pine trees with no lower branches all lined up.
This doesn’t do it justice, but gives you an idea: http://www.ragnartrail.com/files/big-pine-trail.jpg
It was a beautiful place to run and I enjoyed every step of it despite the difficulty.
37m 52s
4.49 miles
08m 25s /Mi
49 kills, 0 killed

Run#3 (Green loop)
By this point, the race was running late and they asked up to double up runners so we could finish earlier. This paired Jeff and I starting together and moved my run hours up. I was fine with it as it was noon already and I was ready to finish it off and get to some beers!
His knees were iffy and I wanted to see what I could do for the last loops, so we decided not to stay together, but it was really cool starting with him and we took some pics before we hit the trails. I was impressed he held up and finished with all the trails, darkness, camping, etc. K came up from camp with us to kick off the run and I was just so happy to be there with everyone.

I was amazed at how well my legs were holding up and with green being the shortest/last/best conditions, it was time to fly. It was deemed ‘easiest’, but I would say it was harder than yellow in that it had rolling ‘punchy’ climbs and was short and dry enough to race (vs. just surviving). So it was the first time I was spending a significant amount of time in the red zone. I had a main goal of not getting passed and giving up my 0 killed status with sub goals of 150+ kills on the day and trying to break 2hrs for cumulative time of all 3 loops.

About a mile in, I started catching a guy moving fast. It took me ¼ mile to get on his heels and then another ½+ mile before I had any opportunities to pass. I finally made the pass, but hitting the hills, I felt him right on me and worried he would pass me back. That was the toughest mile of Ragnar as I tried to stay 100% and hold him off. I finally dropped him and pushed with what I had left until the now familiar final turns and mud field finish. When I came over the bridge, a number of the teammates were on the fence cheering at this point. It was great to see them and cruise into the tent for the final handoff.
25m 09s
3.50 miles
07m 11s /Mi
26 kills, 0 killed


Total:
2h 02m 50s
08m 25s /Mi
163 kills, 0 killed

What would you do differently?:

- Happy with lights, so nothing there
- Duct tape was great, but would use body glide or longer socks to avoid chaffing
-
Post race
Warm down:

We cheered on the other runners and in Ragnar tradition, the team came across the finish line together. We watched a good portion of the other teams pack up and hit the road, but we stayed Sat night and had a nice campfire with beers, food, and fireball. Great times.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Mud

Event comments:

Fantastic race. Plenty of confusion and issues, but overall for how complicated and messed up due to weather conditions, the race was amazing. Well worth it.




Last updated: 2014-06-20 12:00 AM
Running
02:02:50 | 14.58 miles | 08m 25s  min/mile
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Course:
Keeping cool Average Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? No
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2014-06-20 1:04 PM

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Subject: Ragnar Trail Relay Appalachians


2014-06-23 7:09 AM
in reply to: #5015381

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Extreme Veteran
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Subject: RE: Ragnar Trail Relay Appalachians
great race report!!! I love the road relay of Reach the beach and from the sounds of this report, I think I would like this even more! Putting it on the list
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