And finally the 2010 Ragnar report…

Last year we had so much fun doing Ragnar that we had to run it again.

We decided to go for the Ultra version this year,

so 6 runners and one van instead of the regular 12 runners and two vans. While the number of teams was greater this year (about 330, with 11 of them being ultra), the organization was as impeccable as last year. A few new safety rules, but the same crazy people showed up. We saw again the Ragnar 911 team (a play on Reno 911), the Full Monti, the Faster Pastors, and a bunch more. I particularly enjoyed the superheroes (saw as many as three Supergirls, all of which posed for me and made it to my blog), but really liked any team that brought fun to an already positively charged atmosphere.

My three legs were officially 14.9, 13.8 and 12, for a total distance of 40.7 miles. I need to mention the official distance because every section of the website has a different distance which is also different from the actual distance recorded by my trusted Garmin 405. These numbers come from the latest version of the Race bible.

I decided to take it easy on the first leg to save energy for the the two. After all, this was my first ultra and my goal was to finish. I set my Virtual Partner® to a comfortable 9:30 pace and pretty much stuck to it for the entire run, finishing in 2:21:11 (9:29 avg pace). My run started with a little rain (Rob before me got the brunt of it), which then developed into a hot, muggy, humid and overcast morning and the last part had a pretty hot sun (I think locust was next, but fortunately finished my run on time to avoid it. Keeping the 9:29 pace was essay enough.

Much like last year, the waiting time was consumed with leap-frogging the other runners and talking with other teams. At one point we met another ultra team that started at 4:00 PM and had caught up to us by running 6:30 min miles on average (we started at 10:00 AM). They later slowed down a bit, but really burn the hell out of that course. We also stopped at the same sandwich shop we did last year and enjoyed the last turkey sandwiches that were served.

My second leg was in the middle of the night. It was still warm (about 73 or 74 degrees), and very humid. I started at a good pace, also aiming to 9:30 min miles, but hit a couple of long steep inclines that selected to use for my walking breaks. Soon I decided I'd walk the long uphills and run the rest. Of course, as soon as I decided to do that, I found a stretch of 4 miles with no uphills, so I found myself wishing to find one so I could take a little walking break. With that high temperature and humidity, I decided to run with the required safety vest and no shirt. I still used a couple of band-aids to cover my nipples and avoid damage from the rubbing the vest would do. As usual in that temperature, I lost one of them within 30 minutes of my run starting and spent the next four miles figuring a McGiver-type contraption to keep the safety vest away from my nipples. At least that kept me entertained while I run. My second leg finished in 2:27:31, a lousy 10:41 min pace. Not particularly proud, but between the work done on my vest, the temperature, the fact that I had already exceeded my distance PR, the lack of sleep and the fact that I still had 12 miles to go on my third leg, I guess I was mildly satisfied.

With the morning came another hot day. It wasn't terrible when the sun was covered, but every time it came out, the heat seemed unbearable. Luckily for me, my third leg was mostly with an overcast (although still 80+ degrees). The run was beautiful and I had a clear impression that with every step I was breaking a new distance PR. I finished in 2:17:34 or 11:28 pace per mile. I have never run that slow, but by then, I was pretty tired and the heat was really getting to me.

Of course we did run the last mile (1.39, really) as a team. Mel, who was the team finisher, imposed a 10:04 pace that felt like a blistering speed. By then we were running in full sun at 90 degrees. Mel proved to be a real trooper. While she had the shortest distance overall, that last leg was probably the most miserable. Still, she kept an amazing pace. We were all impressed (while begging for a slower pace).

I enjoyed most the people I met and run with. In addition to my team (of course), I run a few miles with one of the Ragnar 911 cops (Chris, I think), who threatened me with arrest if I passed her a third time. So we ended up our first leg together. On my second (night) leg, I met Nancy. Nancy was running her first race that was over 8 miles. Her team had given her the longest legs (almost 20 miles), even though they were far more experienced runners than she was. She also shared that they were not terribly supportive and for the most part shoed up only at the end of every leg. Al and all she was having fun. We finished the second leg together pushing each other to keep running. On my third leg, I tried to catch up to Ragnar 911 Chris again. She had the second half my leg (remember we were doing double legs). I got within 100 yards from her, but a long hill kept me from cathcing up and then I ended up a good 15 minutes behind.

My only regret was not running back from the an rental place where we drove the van at the end of the day. Tim and I talked about doing it (as we had the previous year) throughout the day. It was almost a done deal. Given the temperature, Rob wanted to make sure we provided support for Mel throughout the last leg, which didn't give us much time to do it before the end. At Boom Island Park, we had three free pizzas and $2 pints of beer, of which I had one. By then Tim and I were already walking away from our promise. Not until the end, when we were unloading the van and washing the chalk off, I decided we HAD TO run that last leg, but found out that Rob had told Tim he could go home while we finished cleaning the van. I was both disappointed and relieved about breaking the tradition, since I wasn't looking forward to the run, we just HAD TO do it.

Not sure if I will be able to organize a team next year. This race falls on Sharon's birthday and next year she is turning the big 5-0. It might be a good change to take a year off Ragnar. If the weather was cooler, this would be one of my standard races (like Twin Cities has turned out to be), but with this heat, there is plenty of temptation to skip it.

I want to thank the rest of my team, Tim, Jim, Mel, Rob and John. They were every bit as great as last year's (three of them WERE last year's). We had a blast and it was largely in part because of them. I know they feel the same way about the race. We have over 200 pictures (after the clean up) and are already exchanging sappy emails about how much we enjoyed the race. I know it will not be the last Ragnar, perhaps one day we can travel to the original Ragnar in Utah.