Me, Annie, Jess (my brother's girlfriend) and Paul (my fiance -- future blog post in progress) and 8 other enthusiastic crazy people ran the Ragnar Relay - Northwest Passage at the end of July. Our team name (found by a team member on a blog) was Steve Prefontaine is Oregon's Jim Morrison, or SPOM (spawm) or SPOJM (spo-jum).
It was a crazy trip. We arrived at our team captain's ex-step-father's house the night before the race and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of Samish Bay.
Van 2 started in the afternoon. I was runner 9, so I went 3rd in van 2. The first leg was rough. 6.2 miles in the heat. But I made it, slapped the sweaty bracelet on Jess, and cheered on the rest of the van as they finished their first legs.
We tried to sleep while we were "inactive", but that didn't really work.
My next leg was at 3:00 am. I was lucky and had a short 2.7 mile leg. It was on a lovely running trail and bordered the lake. Then I ran into a deserted small town (very charming), and then through pretty residential streets. I was pumped during Jess's leg (endorphins?) but then fell asleep in the back of the van while Annie and Paul finished their second legs. Sorry guys!
We showered and slept about 2 hours at the hotel and then, BAM, Van 2 was active once again!
My last leg was a grueling 6.8 miles in the mid-day heat. I swear it was 90 degrees. About half-way through the leg, all I could see ahead of me was a long stretch of pavement and vans that weren't mine. I must have looked really tired (I was) because other racers offered me water and cold sponges. It was such a relief to finally jog up to my van and get some encouragement for the last few miles of my leg. Lucky for me the last mile was straight downhill (I love downhill) and I picked up some speed to finish out my portion of the race. Woohoo!
Eventually, we met Paul at the finish line and put the medals around our necks. We did it!
Then we had to drive 4 hours home.
I asked Paul if he had fun, and he told me to ask him in a couple of days. This relay was not easy! But I will definitely do it again if I get the chance. I mean seriously, have you seen the outfits??
1 comment:
I didn't get the name until I read "Six things you didn't know about: Oregon" http://www.blacktable.com/schuman040414.htm, wherein
we learn that #1 on the list of six is "Steve Prefontaine is Our Jim Morrison." Last paragraph: "Let Tennessee have its Elvis and England its Beatles. We'll stick with Pre, who embodied everything that Oregon is: running your ass off for no particular reason through torrential rain in front of no audience just because it makes you feel alive." Apropos the relay.
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