Once anybody runs their first race, they suddenly start secretly dreaming of all the major races they want to accomplish. You may have just run your first 5K, but that doesn’t stop you from envisioning crossing the finish line of your first marathon. Even if you don’t tell anybody, or even start training for it, it’s in the back of your mind somewhere.
My currently-pipe-dreams-but-one-day-hopefully-reality races?
1. An Ironman
2. A Ragnar Relay
Now neither one of them needs to be that brand- any Ironman-distance triathlon or any long distance running relay works for me.
A few weeks ago I watched the Hood to Coast documentary, and now you can add that right next to Ragnar on my list. Who wouldn’t want to run from the top of a mountain all the way to the beach?
Relays are my all time favorite races to run. Hood to Coast is a relay on steroids; it’s also the largest in the world: 12,600 people in teams of 8-12 run 200 miles broken into 36 legs from Mt. Hood to Seaside on the Pacific coast.
If you’re thinking “that must take days!” you’re right- teams ride along the course in vans while one person runs at a time. Hopefully they can get some sleep, but chances aren’t high.
The Hood to Coast movie gives you a little bit of a glimpse of what the whole thing’s about. It follows four teams through the race; each with very different experiences.
One of the teams, the Dead Jocks, has some of the original Hood-to-Coasters that have run it every single year since it’s inception in 1982. They have to make sure the teammates they pick run fast enough to let them place during the race, which will give them automatic entry to the next year’s race. Otherwise it’s up to a lottery.
There’s a team that is running for a family member they lost who loved to run, and had even run the Hood to Coast relay as a kid. It wasn’t just about running for this team- it was about remembering, honoring, and healing.
And then there was a team with a woman who had almost died on the course the year before. I believe she had a heart attack and collapsed in the middle of the race- two other runners came to her rescue and literally saved her life. She spent the year healing after a triple bypass and came back to tackle the course again with team Heart-n-Sole, this time with plans to finish it out.
The last team is the one that didn’t quite sit well with me. It was a team of people that worked together that just up and decided to do the relay. Most of them weren’t runners. I appreciate that this team shows the race isn’t just for the elite or for highly accomplished runners and anyone can participate, but they pushed it to the extreme. At least two of the team members didn’t even get up to a 5k in training. Basically they didn’t train at all; they just showed up. That’s asking for injury.
They did provide a bit of comedy in the middle of some heartbreaking stories though. “I think what we should do is train as little as possible, like don’t do any training, just drink and eat and do no training, and then if we do accomplish the race, all the better.”
The movie only follows a few of the more than a thousand teams that do the race each year- everyone running for a different reason and everyone with a different running background. The length of the race –both in distance and in time- adds a whole new dimension to the high of running. Add in lack of sleep, needed to eat multiple meals, and keeping up the teamwork through stressful times, you really have quite the event on your hands.
Maybe one day.
Here’s the trailer for the movie if you’re interested:
Have you ever done a long distance relay like Hood to Coast or Ragnar?
Team Run to Eat lookin’ hot in their snazzy tanks. Leslie, Amanda, Gretchen, & Cara.
And Team Awesome. They were missing a teammate :(. Brittany, Julia, & Amy.
Before the race started, we learned how to hand off the ankle chips for the relay. (Take it off, put it on the next person….thanks guys.)
The website implied it was a tough & hilly trail course—it didn’t help that part of the pre race instructions included checking in at the aid stations so they’d know if you got lost, and to find your way by looking for the right color tie. (Red!) And that whole thing about copperhead snakes. (Don’t worry, just keep running!)
I was expecting a huge crowd, but there were only about 20 relay teams.
The first leg runners getting ready to start:
And they’re off!
Since I was running the 3rd 6.5 mile leg, I had a little time to spare. The race started at 11, which was a little weird for fueling- I ate about half of this bagel-peanut butter-sunflower seed combo (yes, again) before I got distracted by the 1st 50 mile racer getting ready to finish.
There he is looking strong! This guy was flying- it must’ve only taken him about 6 1/2 hours. Seriously?!!!!
Not much later the first relay leg runners made it back for the 1st hand off.
They reported back on the course- “flat, fast, & short”! They flew through the course!
Before long it was my turn to run. (By the way, check out how gorgeous this place is)
The course started on a loop around a field, then down an asphalt path by a park. Then it narrowed and turned into more of a trail. Some parts got pretty narrow back in the woods, but I wouldn’t really say it was a difficult trail to maneuver. Just a couple small ditches and muddy spots. 🙂
(I guess you have to run a longer distance to actually get to experience more “trail”. Next year anyone?!)
I started off great- about an 8:30 pace according to the guy behind me. (He was ahead of me but I made sure to stay on his tail at the beginning in case I got lost! Then I ended up passing him. And then he passed me. ;))
I was running sans ipod to enjoy the scenery. It was fun seeing all the other runners come by the other direction- 50 milers, 50K-ers, marathoners, relayers. The first (only) aid station was about 2.5 miles in. (You got to pass it twice.) I was more than ready for some water by that point. It was HOT.
Then I had a nice post race beer.
Oh did I skip something? How about the part where I completely lost it and it all went downhill? Oh yeah, that.
My stomach had been just a bit off earlier, but I thought nothing of it. All of a sudden a little more than half way through I couldn’t think of anything but my stomach. I’ll try to refrain from getting too graphic, but it was bad. As in, even if I was in the comfort of my own home I would’ve been suffering. But instead I was in the middle of the woods and couldn’t find a path off the trail.
Luckily Leslie came running up behind me and renewed my faith in life when she said there was a porta potty just past the aid station.
I’ve never been so happy to a stinky plastic building in my life.
I started running again, but realized I still wasn’t in good shape. I U-turned and hit the porta potty again.
At this point I was so dehydrated that I was dizzy, nauseous, and miserable. I’ve never wanted to quit anything so badly in my life. But obviously that wasn’t happening 😉 (Although I did imagine them sending a searching party into the woods…)
In case that wasn’t enough to deal with, my knee was all sorts of hurting. Pain so bad that it was shooting from my knee to my hip, and it actually hurt more to walk. I just kept thinking this can’t be good…make it 2 more steps….2 more…
Then she lived happily ever after.
Ok fine, I skipped ahead again.
Eventually I saw the finish line. I felt so bad for slowing my team down so much, but all I could do was finish as best as I could. Good thing we were just there to have fun!
And than I yakked my guts out. (Which was thoroughly embarrassing as you can imagine. I apologize to any witnesses.) A few sips of water and I was back to life.
See?
So not my best race. Why can’t these things happen on training runs instead of races?! Oy vey.
Moving on. Post race snacks! (After I devoured most of them.) Bagel pieces, pretzel sticks, cookies, Skittles, and super delicious gummy bears.
We finished!! Go team RBR!
No lie about the snakes either. Cara saw one “THIS BIG”!
Then we were off to chow down!!
We decided Mexican was the perfect post-race food, so we hit up Uncle Julio’s.
These were some of the best veggie fajitas- huge chunks of grilled zucchini, portabella mushroom, potatoes, peppers, & onions on freshly made tortillas. Yum!!
Plus chips & really good, smoky salsa!
Before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye to new friends 🙁
This was such a fun, fabulous day, (despite the not-so-good run) and I’m so glad to have all of you wonderful girls!!
I'm Heather, a sports dietitian specializing in food sensitivities {and a implementation strategist for fellow health & nutrition professionals}.
5+ years ago the docs told me I'd never run again due to a chronic pain disorder. I'm here to prove them wrong.
