We kicked off our event by having a pre-race pasta dinner at our home Wednesday night. Everyone arrived safely from far (Ohio, South Dakota, Texas and Pennsylvania) and near. We had a hitch in getting our rental vans, putting us behind a few hours – but it all worked out. We held our own BACI ceremony to bless our runners and showed a couple of video clips of Nick to remind us all why we were participating in the race. However, it was just getting them out of the driveway that took the most amount of time. They spent over 30 minutes just admiring how cool the vans were; then the safety rules, packing, last minute checklist, etc. It got to one point when I threatened to lock the door to the house so no one could come back in. They were all so excited!
Thursday morning, Wacky Warriors (van one) took off out of Logan. The runners were:
Van One: Lee Brower, Taylor Thompson, Rick Knight, Mike Hess, Scott Fletcher & Carolyn Thompson.
Van Two: Devin Thorpe, Dave Sheffield, Jeff Bucher, Paul Anderson, Parker Hall & Tony Childress. FYI: One of our runners had to withdraw the day before the race; Parker filled in, ready to go! He was truly the man of the hour!
Dave did an incredible job in organizing our runners! He coordinated van rentals, hotel rooms, camping spots, meals, routes, etc. I visited the runners in Van Two while they awaited their first exchange; the mood was silly and excited. This being our first race, we didn’t realize we could decorate our van, so a kind team loaned us their markers and helped us out.
Once both vans were off, I eventually arrived at my SWAT (sweaty, wet and tired) assigned exchange in the middle of nowhere at 1:30 a.m. Friday morning. The mood continued to be silly and excited. My volunteers and I saw our first runner at 2:59 a.m. – holy smokes! The majority of the pack didn’t show up until about 6:00 a.m. I was pretty proud of myself in bringing my trusty portable propane heater, as it was a whopping 35 degrees just before dawn. I was the hit of the race as runners gathered around it, waiting for their respective team runner to trot down the street. My exchange was particularly interesting – runners came in from the north to hand off to the next runner, who had to head back where the first runner came from for a block before heading west. Regardless of how many times I hollered instructions, there was invariably a runner that popped in their earphones and sped off like lightning IN THE WRONG DIRECTION! It was usually one of the younger men (I’m just saying’…) It was especially nice to see Lee come through my exchange (he went the right way)!
We saw hilariously decorated vans and team tee-shirts! Lots of different causes were represented. One particular runner was near the end of his route, coming up to my exchange. I could see him about two hundred yards away, limping very badly. I gasped when I saw him, stating out loud that he must be in horrific pain. The rest of his team was waiting for him near me and one said, “Nah, he’s not hurt. He has MS – that is his normal gait.” WOW!
Our team placed extremely well – 288th out of 1,390 teams overall (top 21%) and 160th out of 975 teams in the open division (top 16%). They ran 198 miles in 31 hours, 3 minutes and 25 seconds!
I have asked each runner to write a little something about their experience. I know they had some hardships (Taylor severely strained both of his calves; Devin was sent home early due to extreme food poisoning, leaving Parker and his team to pick up extra routes; Lee pulled his hamstring during his second route). I think the stories are more interesting from their own perspective. Below are some thoughts from Carolyn Thompson:
1. What in the world possessed you to run in a race like this?
Literally right before Lee announced that he was looking for runners in our Strategic Coach session, I had just asked the Lord, “What is the next challenge? Where should we go?” and literally the next words out of his mouth were, “We are looking for some runners for a Ragnar run.” It was a divine intervention
2. How did you train?
In cold and flat of South Dakota and the business of life (see the excuses coming?), training was a bit challenging. I mostly ran the treadmill, and on good days would get outside and would run three to five miles, ideally two to three times a week. We also have a hill in the area that allows trail running and I did that a few times. Could I have done more? Yes. Also logging in to RunKeeper was helpful as well.
3. What did you feel when you completed your last leg?
My last leg was 6.1 miles down hill and I was happy to be over. It was a good run and I was very thankful for the times a day that I got to run. Even though I was tired, I saw one runner “Within striking distance.” I thought about my team members at the exchange point and how fun it used to be to see people “Get it out,” at the end, so I did pass that last runner.
4. Funny stories.
Five guys, one girl and a tent for two and a half hours – sleep is a precious thing! After the first night we had the opportunity to crash for about two and a half hours in a tent, there is no humility when you are a tired mom. Even if the guys snored I didn’t hear it because I was tired.
5. Favorite moments:
My son Taylor, age 15 had run so fast on his first downhill 6.9 that he had injured his calves. His second run was even harder and we knew there was a risk he wouldn’t be able to complete. After the first three miles we needed to exchange runners and I was feeling very good and ready to go. So in the beautiful still night, with the bright moon and beautiful stars I ran three of his miles. It was a fantastic experience. I’ve not really run at night or in those conditions. It was just beautiful and good to know that our team could come together.
Other funny story. At the end of my second leg, which was going exceptionally well, I was feeling good and the weather was beautiful, I got to the exchange point and no one was there! I was having my quickest run pace and the guys didn’t know I was going to be there, so I beat my own team to the exchange point!
6. Anything else you want to share:
There are times when you wonder why am I doing this? I would reflect on how blessed we are in our lives and how life can really through you some unexpected curve balls. I try to teach my children and remind myself it’s not what happens in life, but how you respond to it. I think it is the amazing strength, generosity, and life that Nick gave to so many and they are thankful to even know of the phenomenal impact he has had on so many people. He is an encouragement on this side of Heaven and the other. He inspires me and is a good reminder to be greatful, give back, and have fun!
There was another team, Runnin’ Wacky, that ran representing Nick’s Wacky Warriors. While the first team ran Thursday and Friday, Runnin’ Wacky ran Friday and Saturday. Their team consisted of:
Tracy Beatty, Bo Brower, Nate Brower, Ike Anderson, Tim Sessions, Amber Hansen, Keith Hansen, Nick Dunn, Anni Varga, Carl Grimaud, Erica Larson & Ryan Montgomery.
Although I did not get a chance to interact much with this team, their captain – Tracy Beatty – wrote a bit about his experience:
The 2013 Ragnar Wasatch Back was such a blast and awesome experience! I was in Van 1 with Bo, Nate, Tim, Nick and Ike. Our first legs went great and after we were done, we went and ate dinner at Tagerts Grille, where Nick polished off a 1 POUND hamburger! We then met up with Van #2 at Snow Basin where we began our 2nd legs just as the sun was going down.
Tim was our last runner of the night and had to do an 8.8 mile run from Morgan Valley up to East Canyon Reservoir. We supported Tim throughout most of the run and gave him water twice but with only a couple miles left, we went ahead to the exchange to wait for him there. While sitting in the car trying to get warm and waiting for him, I heard a volunteer’s radio say that they needed an ambulance at the exchange and that there was a medical emergency. I said to myself, “That’s too bad, I wonder what happened?” Well, about 2 or 3 minutes later, I received a call from Erica in Van #2 telling me to get up to the exchange because Tim passed out just after passing the bracelet off to Amber in Van #2 and was being loaded into an ambulance! After monitoring him for about an hour and giving him an IV, Tim appeared to be fine.
At this point it was about 4am, so we drove to the high school in Kamas to try and get couple hours of sleep and take a shower. We were all a little cranky to say the least! Haha! Some of the guys slept, but I, unfortunately, did not. We then met back up with Van #2 at the Oakley fair grounds at 8am to start our last legs. The last legs went great and we met back up in with Van #2 in Heber City at 2:30pm. Because Tim received an IV, he was not allowed to finish his last leg. And because my last leg was only 2.8 miles and his was only 2.1, I was nominated to run his last leg for him. Luckily both legs were pretty flat and I survived! Haha!
Our WACKY shirts really stood out and we received tons of compliments from other runners! Even though our team did not directly raise money like the other team did, I think we helped raise good positive awareness for the foundation. I personally had some great conversations with people that wanted to know what WACKY was. It was a real honor to be affiliated with WACKY for this event and I appreciate being a part of it. I also want to thank the volunteers from WACKY and express my appreciation to them for them donating their time.
It’s funny because there is a time during those nighttime legs that you tell yourself that you are never doing this again, but now I am already thinking about doing it all over again next year!
