I'm just warning you all now. This is gonna be a novel. And VERY picture-heavy.
Before you read my post, read this article. The Washington Post wrote a story about Holly, Shane, and the Ragnar Relay DC. A few things that I'm going to talk about reference that article. Get your box of Kleenex. You've been warned.
NIGHT BEFORE THE RACE
So I flew to Washington D.C. Wednesday night from Anchorage for the Ragnar DC. My flight left at 8:30 pm Wednesday, and I didn’t arrive in DC until 2:30 pm the next day. Wowza. Not a lot of sleep, and I knew I wouldn’t be getting a ton of shut eye during the next couple of days either. Note to self: Do not fly 5,000 miles on a red-eye flight two nights before a Ragnar. Bad, bad, bad, idea.
So I arrived in DC Thursday afternoon, then hopped on the Metro to meet Holly in Fairfax. She picked me up from the Vienna station, and we were off to Wegmans to purchase our weekend food rations. (And let me just take a minute to describe my love for Wegmans! This grocery store is luxurious! I mean, luxurious. Their pumpkin muffins are seriously enough to get me to move to the East Coast immediately. Mmm.)
Holly and I were just too excited and anxious to really think about what we would need to buy for the relay. Seriously unprepared. Our conversation?
Holly: So what else are we gonna need?
Me: Ummmmm.
Holly: What about stuff for sandwiches?
Me: Nah. There’ll be food along the course.
Holly: But we should definitely get these Snickers.
Me: Absolutely.
Bahahaha! Seriously. So we bought a few snack items: Snickers, Wheat Thins, grapes, bananas, carrots, pretzels, and Twizzlers. (The essentials, obviously. Duh.) Then we went to Target and bought sunglasses and a tarp. All while browsing other unessential items in the store. Like dresses and purses and jewelry. Because, duh, we are women. That’s what we do.
Anyway, after packing and getting ready, I didn’t get to bed until midnight, and I had to be up 4 hours later. And let’s keep in mind that I only slept for about 2 hours on my red-eye flight.
Runner 3: Eric Lacey, aka EZE
This dude runs hills for fun. Not just any hills. 1,200 ft hills, to be exact. Masochist? Maybe. Here he comes to save the day!
Runner 4: Yours truly, Christy Archuleta (who may or may not be related to David)
Call me the ultimate runnerd of the bunch. I’d be the only one to flutter around Maryland in a tutu and take no shame in it.
Runner 5: Brady Jones, aka BJ (take that name however you will…)
Brady isn’t afraid of a little rain. Hell, he isn’t even afraid of pouring rain and mud puddles. Ladies, watch yourselves! He’s no longer on the market.
Runner 6: Ozzie (Osborn). No, seriously.
Welcome to the 20-mile club, friends. This tough dude knows a thing or two about longevity. (Though at one point he did get chicked by a girl in a red tutu…shhhh, don’t tell.)
Runner 7: Alisha Lacey
Wife of EZE, and another member of the 20-mile club. This woman laughs in the face of hills and distance, but does it so sweetly you’ll never even see her coming as she speeds right by you at mach 90.
VAN 2
Runner 8: Gerald Patten, aka General Patten
This mighty runner doesn’t let a steep climb get in his way.
Runner 9: Helen Oliver, aka The Captain
Our fearless team captain. She knows no bounds, and tackles extra hilly mileage with a vengeance.
Runner 10: Cynthia Linton
Sister of The Captain, and our resident Texan. Howdy, y’all! She’s the woman behind the video camera.
Runner 11: Ummm…..can we say last-minute dropout? We had no Runner 11.
Runner 12: Brant Oliver
Husband of The Captain. He keeps calm in the face of danger and extra miles. No runner 11? No problem!
RACE DAY
Before I write anything more, let me just take a minute to express my amazement and admiration for my friend, Holly Mitchell. I couldn’t imagine being in her shoes. She demonstrated so much strength and resolve, and I don’t think there are many people out there who can do what she did, who can go back to the place where her husband died on the one year anniversary and run the exact same race. She’s more than words can say. Love you, Baby Jaguar.
The 2 ½ hour drive to Cumberland, Maryland was scenic (and early). I fell asleep for part of it. As we got closer and closer, Holly began to feel a bit nervous/nauseous. Read this article to understand why. I think we were all feeling a bit…hmm. Lots of different emotions, I guess.
We arrived at Rocky Gap State Park and proceeded with check-in. Ragnar staff came to say hello, and I introduced Holly to Kent Phippen, the DC race director. Kent has been a huge help this past year as we’ve planned this race, and he was pretty excited to finally meet Holly. (Thanks to Ragnar, especially Kent, for being flexible and understanding, and going above and beyond anything expected.)
9 a.m. was quickly approaching, but before lining up at the start line we did what normal people would do; take jumping pictures. Wait…what?! Normal people don’t take jumping pictures?! Could’ve fooled me.
Holly eventually lined up at the start line, and at 9 a.m. off she went with a smile on her face (seriously amazing).
Leg 1 is a loop trail around the lake…about 5 miles worth. So we headed to our vans to do a little van decorating before Holly would loop around to Exchange 1.
About 50 minutes later we saw Holly come around the bend. I met up with her to run the last hundred yards or so with her. Exchange 1 was a big moment for her and us. As noted in previous posts, we decided to leave Shane’s runner position open. No one would be running his legs. So this means that Holly would be passing the bracelet to no one. Tough. Holly was met with cheers and hugs from her team. She cried a little. I cried a little. Kent from Ragnar gave her a dozen white roses, and other spectators began clapping for her. GO HOLLY! She did it. She even ran it faster than she did last year.
During the next hour our team had planned to go to the spot where Shane died. To remember him. Leg 2 this year was changed, so the spot where Shane died during last year was no longer on the current course. We were a bit grateful for that. It offered us some privacy as we took the time drive there and remember him.
This was the part I was most anxious/nervous for. I remembered the spot where I found Shane very vividly, and I knew those memories would still be fresh in mind. As we were driving to the spot, I kept thinking to myself, “These were Shane’s last steps in life.” Over and over. I had butterflies in my stomach. But then I kept looking around and thinking, “This scenery is beautiful. At least his last steps in life were in a place this pretty.”
Ozzie and I were on the lookout for the spot, and then finally we drove upon it. I felt immediately sick. We all got out of the van, and I walked over to the spot where I found him lying in the brush. Images of finding Shane kept coming back, and I was on the verge of tears, but I wanted to stay strong for Holly. She cried, and then told us all to start eating donuts. They were Shane’s favorite food. We all laughed, cried, hugged, and ate a donut for Shane. Holly left the flowers that Kent gave her, along with a donut, on the side of the road.
Then we drove on. Alisha was awesome enough to snap some pictures of the area. Beautiful. Shane died in a beautiful place.
So the tough part of the race was over. We got through it. It was good to remember Shane. And now it was time to finish this race.
We drove to Exchange 2 to drop off EZE for leg 3. Holy crap, this leg was tough! Over 1,200 feet vertical climb in just over 7 miles. Eric was a frickin’ champ! I didn’t envy this climb. It was drizzling rain a bit at this point, but he just kept climbing. And climbing. And climbing. Super human strength, I tell ya!
Before I knew it, it was time for me to line up at my exchange point. Eric slapped the bracelet onto my wrist, and off I went!
I was feeling good. The adrenaline was really going at this point. I looked down at my Garmin and realized I was running under a 9-minute mile, but knew I’d need to slow it down, and slow it down quickly. I had a 400-ft climb at the end my 4.6 mile run. I needed to save some juice.
It was really humid, a bit foggy, and drizzling rain. I would guess it was around 70 degrees, too. This was hot for me, as I’ve been running in Alaska and it hasn’t gotten above 55 degrees in a long time. But I can’t really complain because the scenery was gorgeous. And the pine trees smelled soooo good. I’m pretty sure I had a smile on my face the whole time.
The support from my van was fantastic. Thanks Van 1!
At about mile 3.5 I hit the steep climb. Wow. Holy crap. Steeeeep. But I kept plugging along, and I finished strong. I still managed to run under a 10-minute average mile for the entire 4.6 miles. It was definitely a good run.
I passed the bracelet to Brady and he began another steep climb. And then it began pouring rain. Pouring! Poor guy…. But he tackled it like a champ. Go BJ!
Brady passed the bracelet to Ozzie, still in a complete downpour, and Ozzie began his run.
Then it was Ozzie to Alisha. Alisha is a trooper. This woman is strong and fast!
Once Alisha finished, we drove to Exchange 10 where Brady would run Leg 11. As mentioned above, we had a runner drop out the night before the race, and unfortunately his first two legs were loooooong (9.1 miles, 9.6 miles). So Brady offered to take Leg 11.
At this point in the race I was pretty exhausted. Only getting 6 hours of sleep in 48 hours, and flying for 10 hours, etc. really put a damper in my energy level. So I slept for an hour or so. Much needed, for sure!
Once I woke up, Van 2 was awaiting Cynthia to finish her leg, and pass the bracelet to Brady. We enjoyed the company and the random ponies!
We drove ahead to Exchange 11 to wait for Brady to finish the 9.1 mile leg. The view at Exchange 11 was beautiful! The sun was setting, the fog was rolling in, and it was simply breathtaking. I seriously love being on a team. Anticipating your runner's arrival, cheering for them, getting to know each other...nothing better!
At this point in the race, we were all starving, but opted out of eating dinner before our night runs. And so the night runs begin...
I. LOVE. NIGHT. RUNNING. These are always, by far, my favorite runs. A few candid shots of Van 1 getting prepared for our middle of the night runs:
Holly was pretty nervous about her night run. She'd never been running at night before and was concerned about it. Plus, it was pretty foggy at this point. Sometimes you could barely see a few feet in front of you. But as usual, she was a champ. Brant arrived, passed the bracelet to her, and she took off. We kept a close eye on her, making sure to mainly keep her in our sights as we drove ahead. We needn't have worried. When she finished her run, she happily exclaimed that the night run was awesome, she was fast, and she'd never, ever, ever had a run that felt so fantastic! Welcome to the world of night runs, Holly!! Aren't they amazing?!
Soon enough it was my turn to run again. I opted out of the tutu for this run, and instead wore all pink, including knee-high tie-dyed pink socks.
My second leg was 5.3 miles. I loved this run because it was just so peaceful. There were times when it was completely pitch black except for the small light from my head lamp. We were in what felt like a remote part of Maryland. The town I was running through couldn't have been that big. It was wooded, and in a way I was wishing it was light outside so that I could really take in the scenery. From what I could tell, it seemed beautiful. It was fairly foggy during the run, but I didn't mind. I ran the 5.3 miles in exactly 50 minutes. I was satisfied with it, and I even passed two other runners. Love getting me some road kills!
The night runs continued without a hitch and then we drove to Exchange 24 to get some much needed and deserved shut eye. Holly, Ozzie, and I were the spoiled ones and slept in the van. Alisha, Eric, and Brady...notsomuch. But they are troopers and toughed it out in the open air, in sleeping bags on a tarp (see! the tarp did come in handy!). Thanks, you three, for sleeping outside. We owe you!
6:30 a.m. rolls around and we are informed that Brant, runner 12, has begun his run. So we had to wake up and I don't think any of us were quite ready to do that, but we all made the most of it!
Holly wasn't quite ready for her last run. I would say this picture pretty much depicts how she felt about waking up and having to run a few miles. Haha!
Holly handled her run just fine, though.
We drove through Shane's leg, and then dropped Eric off to start his final leg. He did a fantastic job, then passed the bracelet to me for my third and final run.
Once the exchange chute was in sight, I gave it the final push and sprinted to pass the bracelet to Brady.
Brady smoked his fourth and final leg. Even clad in completely inappropriate green shorty-shorts. Seriously, ladies! I already said he was off the market! Brady became our first runner to join the 20 Mile Club.
Ozzie had an 8-ish mile run to conquer. I think his face shows just how excited he was to get started. Hahaha. He became the second member of the esteemed 20 Mile Club.
Alisha was a superstar. She took on an extra leg (6.4 extra miles, to be exact), which subsequently placed her in the 20 Mile Club. Loving the distance, lady!
Van 1 is finally finished! Time to head to the finish line to await the arrival of Van 2, but not before the ladies of Van 1 took snapshots of our awesome costumes (next year, Holly, you WILL be in crazy socks, at least!).
Once we arrived at National Harbor, we chowed down on free pizza and beer. Oh, wait. I was the only one to drink the beer...bahahaha! Water for the rest! We had a couple of hours to kill before Van 2 would be reaching the finish line, so we sat around and chatted, Holly and I walked around the harbor, and we met up with her son, Preston.
After a couple of hours we catch sight of Van 2. We made Preston a team shirt, so that he could run through the finish line for Shane. It felt complete. We all ran through the finish line together! After 30 hours, 38 minutes, and 48 seconds of running, Team Speed Sold Separately crossed the finish line of the 198 mile race!
Anyway, after packing and getting ready, I didn’t get to bed until midnight, and I had to be up 4 hours later. And let’s keep in mind that I only slept for about 2 hours on my red-eye flight.
2 + 4 = 6 = Insufficient rest in 48 hours = FML.
THE TEAM
First, let me introduce you to the fearless and tough members of Team 1: Speed Sold Separately.
VAN 1
Runner 1: Holly Mitchell
Through the course, Holly will tackle almost 13 miles of rough terrain, foggy nights, and sleep-deprived delirious morning runs. Basically, she is a superstar.
Runner 2: (We love and miss you Shane Mitchell!!!)
THE TEAM
First, let me introduce you to the fearless and tough members of Team 1: Speed Sold Separately.
L to R: Cynthia, Helen, Brant, Eric, Gerald, Brady, Ozzie, Christy, Holly, Alisha
The entire team at the start line
VAN 1
Runner 1: Holly Mitchell
Through the course, Holly will tackle almost 13 miles of rough terrain, foggy nights, and sleep-deprived delirious morning runs. Basically, she is a superstar.
Runner 2: (We love and miss you Shane Mitchell!!!)
This dude runs hills for fun. Not just any hills. 1,200 ft hills, to be exact. Masochist? Maybe. Here he comes to save the day!
Runner 4: Yours truly, Christy Archuleta (who may or may not be related to David)
Call me the ultimate runnerd of the bunch. I’d be the only one to flutter around Maryland in a tutu and take no shame in it.
Runner 5: Brady Jones, aka BJ (take that name however you will…)
Brady isn’t afraid of a little rain. Hell, he isn’t even afraid of pouring rain and mud puddles. Ladies, watch yourselves! He’s no longer on the market.
Runner 6: Ozzie (Osborn). No, seriously.
Welcome to the 20-mile club, friends. This tough dude knows a thing or two about longevity. (Though at one point he did get chicked by a girl in a red tutu…shhhh, don’t tell.)
Runner 7: Alisha Lacey
Wife of EZE, and another member of the 20-mile club. This woman laughs in the face of hills and distance, but does it so sweetly you’ll never even see her coming as she speeds right by you at mach 90.
VAN 2
Gerald, Brant, Helen, Cynthia
Runner 8: Gerald Patten, aka General Patten
This mighty runner doesn’t let a steep climb get in his way.
Runner 9: Helen Oliver, aka The Captain
Our fearless team captain. She knows no bounds, and tackles extra hilly mileage with a vengeance.
Runner 10: Cynthia Linton
Sister of The Captain, and our resident Texan. Howdy, y’all! She’s the woman behind the video camera.
Runner 11: Ummm…..can we say last-minute dropout? We had no Runner 11.
Runner 12: Brant Oliver
Husband of The Captain. He keeps calm in the face of danger and extra miles. No runner 11? No problem!
RACE DAY
Before I write anything more, let me just take a minute to express my amazement and admiration for my friend, Holly Mitchell. I couldn’t imagine being in her shoes. She demonstrated so much strength and resolve, and I don’t think there are many people out there who can do what she did, who can go back to the place where her husband died on the one year anniversary and run the exact same race. She’s more than words can say. Love you, Baby Jaguar.
The 2 ½ hour drive to Cumberland, Maryland was scenic (and early). I fell asleep for part of it. As we got closer and closer, Holly began to feel a bit nervous/nauseous. Read this article to understand why. I think we were all feeling a bit…hmm. Lots of different emotions, I guess.
We arrived at Rocky Gap State Park and proceeded with check-in. Ragnar staff came to say hello, and I introduced Holly to Kent Phippen, the DC race director. Kent has been a huge help this past year as we’ve planned this race, and he was pretty excited to finally meet Holly. (Thanks to Ragnar, especially Kent, for being flexible and understanding, and going above and beyond anything expected.)
Holly, Kent, Me, and Maria (Kent's wife)
9 a.m. was quickly approaching, but before lining up at the start line we did what normal people would do; take jumping pictures. Wait…what?! Normal people don’t take jumping pictures?! Could’ve fooled me.
Helen and Cynthia have mad hops!
Alisha and Eric, husband and wife, are here to save the day!
The men of Speed Sold Separately
Holly and Christy (it was my turn to make the *ugly* face)
Holly eventually lined up at the start line, and at 9 a.m. off she went with a smile on her face (seriously amazing).
About 50 minutes later we saw Holly come around the bend. I met up with her to run the last hundred yards or so with her. Exchange 1 was a big moment for her and us. As noted in previous posts, we decided to leave Shane’s runner position open. No one would be running his legs. So this means that Holly would be passing the bracelet to no one. Tough. Holly was met with cheers and hugs from her team. She cried a little. I cried a little. Kent from Ragnar gave her a dozen white roses, and other spectators began clapping for her. GO HOLLY! She did it. She even ran it faster than she did last year.
During the next hour our team had planned to go to the spot where Shane died. To remember him. Leg 2 this year was changed, so the spot where Shane died during last year was no longer on the current course. We were a bit grateful for that. It offered us some privacy as we took the time drive there and remember him.
This was the part I was most anxious/nervous for. I remembered the spot where I found Shane very vividly, and I knew those memories would still be fresh in mind. As we were driving to the spot, I kept thinking to myself, “These were Shane’s last steps in life.” Over and over. I had butterflies in my stomach. But then I kept looking around and thinking, “This scenery is beautiful. At least his last steps in life were in a place this pretty.”
Ozzie and I were on the lookout for the spot, and then finally we drove upon it. I felt immediately sick. We all got out of the van, and I walked over to the spot where I found him lying in the brush. Images of finding Shane kept coming back, and I was on the verge of tears, but I wanted to stay strong for Holly. She cried, and then told us all to start eating donuts. They were Shane’s favorite food. We all laughed, cried, hugged, and ate a donut for Shane. Holly left the flowers that Kent gave her, along with a donut, on the side of the road.
The smile donut
Then we drove on. Alisha was awesome enough to snap some pictures of the area. Beautiful. Shane died in a beautiful place.
So the tough part of the race was over. We got through it. It was good to remember Shane. And now it was time to finish this race.
We drove to Exchange 2 to drop off EZE for leg 3. Holy crap, this leg was tough! Over 1,200 feet vertical climb in just over 7 miles. Eric was a frickin’ champ! I didn’t envy this climb. It was drizzling rain a bit at this point, but he just kept climbing. And climbing. And climbing. Super human strength, I tell ya!
Before I knew it, it was time for me to line up at my exchange point. Eric slapped the bracelet onto my wrist, and off I went!
Ready to go!
I was feeling good. The adrenaline was really going at this point. I looked down at my Garmin and realized I was running under a 9-minute mile, but knew I’d need to slow it down, and slow it down quickly. I had a 400-ft climb at the end my 4.6 mile run. I needed to save some juice.
It was really humid, a bit foggy, and drizzling rain. I would guess it was around 70 degrees, too. This was hot for me, as I’ve been running in Alaska and it hasn’t gotten above 55 degrees in a long time. But I can’t really complain because the scenery was gorgeous. And the pine trees smelled soooo good. I’m pretty sure I had a smile on my face the whole time.
The support from my van was fantastic. Thanks Van 1!
At about mile 3.5 I hit the steep climb. Wow. Holy crap. Steeeeep. But I kept plugging along, and I finished strong. I still managed to run under a 10-minute average mile for the entire 4.6 miles. It was definitely a good run.
Phew! Done!
The number 3 for the number of ROAD KILLS!
Muddy, muddy!
Brady giving Ozzie some water and manly support. And I don't mean a jock strap.
Then it was Ozzie to Alisha. Alisha is a trooper. This woman is strong and fast!
Why is it necessary to wear a head lamp at 2 pm?! haha
Once Alisha finished, we drove to Exchange 10 where Brady would run Leg 11. As mentioned above, we had a runner drop out the night before the race, and unfortunately his first two legs were loooooong (9.1 miles, 9.6 miles). So Brady offered to take Leg 11.
At this point in the race I was pretty exhausted. Only getting 6 hours of sleep in 48 hours, and flying for 10 hours, etc. really put a damper in my energy level. So I slept for an hour or so. Much needed, for sure!
Once I woke up, Van 2 was awaiting Cynthia to finish her leg, and pass the bracelet to Brady. We enjoyed the company and the random ponies!
The team, minus Cynthia
Me, Holly, Eric
Me, Holly, Alisha
At this point in the race, we were all starving, but opted out of eating dinner before our night runs. And so the night runs begin...
I. LOVE. NIGHT. RUNNING. These are always, by far, my favorite runs. A few candid shots of Van 1 getting prepared for our middle of the night runs:
Me, Holly, Ozzie, and Brady looking a bit bright
Alisha! Always all smiles!
Eric knows how to wear that bandanna with style...
Soon enough it was my turn to run again. I opted out of the tutu for this run, and instead wore all pink, including knee-high tie-dyed pink socks.
My second leg was 5.3 miles. I loved this run because it was just so peaceful. There were times when it was completely pitch black except for the small light from my head lamp. We were in what felt like a remote part of Maryland. The town I was running through couldn't have been that big. It was wooded, and in a way I was wishing it was light outside so that I could really take in the scenery. From what I could tell, it seemed beautiful. It was fairly foggy during the run, but I didn't mind. I ran the 5.3 miles in exactly 50 minutes. I was satisfied with it, and I even passed two other runners. Love getting me some road kills!
The night runs continued without a hitch and then we drove to Exchange 24 to get some much needed and deserved shut eye. Holly, Ozzie, and I were the spoiled ones and slept in the van. Alisha, Eric, and Brady...notsomuch. But they are troopers and toughed it out in the open air, in sleeping bags on a tarp (see! the tarp did come in handy!). Thanks, you three, for sleeping outside. We owe you!
6:30 a.m. rolls around and we are informed that Brant, runner 12, has begun his run. So we had to wake up and I don't think any of us were quite ready to do that, but we all made the most of it!
Ozzie looking a bit tired
Toooooo early!!!
Brady, our resident jokester!
(Holly, you have full permission to kill me later for posting this pic!!!)
DONE!!!
I was ready to go! Clearly.
My third leg should've been my easiest. It was only 3.7 miles, fairly flat, nothing to write home about. But lack of proper nutrition and much sleep deprivation made this leg my most difficult. I actually felt really good for the first mile. And then I was just...done. Spent. Out of gas. There were a lot of stoplights on this leg, too, so I was constantly having to start running and then stop, over and over. Thank goodness for my van-mates. They gave me support more than they know. I wanted to walk a million times, but I kept moving and running. Thanks guys!
My third leg should've been my easiest. It was only 3.7 miles, fairly flat, nothing to write home about. But lack of proper nutrition and much sleep deprivation made this leg my most difficult. I actually felt really good for the first mile. And then I was just...done. Spent. Out of gas. There were a lot of stoplights on this leg, too, so I was constantly having to start running and then stop, over and over. Thank goodness for my van-mates. They gave me support more than they know. I wanted to walk a million times, but I kept moving and running. Thanks guys!
This is the "I can't take one more step" look
Brady smoked his fourth and final leg. Even clad in completely inappropriate green shorty-shorts. Seriously, ladies! I already said he was off the market! Brady became our first runner to join the 20 Mile Club.
Ozzie had an 8-ish mile run to conquer. I think his face shows just how excited he was to get started. Hahaha. He became the second member of the esteemed 20 Mile Club.
Alisha was a superstar. She took on an extra leg (6.4 extra miles, to be exact), which subsequently placed her in the 20 Mile Club. Loving the distance, lady!
Van 1 is finally finished! Time to head to the finish line to await the arrival of Van 2, but not before the ladies of Van 1 took snapshots of our awesome costumes (next year, Holly, you WILL be in crazy socks, at least!).
We are super heroes!!
Once we arrived at National Harbor, we chowed down on free pizza and beer. Oh, wait. I was the only one to drink the beer...bahahaha! Water for the rest! We had a couple of hours to kill before Van 2 would be reaching the finish line, so we sat around and chatted, Holly and I walked around the harbor, and we met up with her son, Preston.
The Awakening Statue at National Harbor
After a couple of hours we catch sight of Van 2. We made Preston a team shirt, so that he could run through the finish line for Shane. It felt complete. We all ran through the finish line together! After 30 hours, 38 minutes, and 48 seconds of running, Team Speed Sold Separately crossed the finish line of the 198 mile race!
Running into the finish with little Preston in hand!
Corissa Taylor (Ragnar staff) giving Preston his honorary medal.
Preston Mitchell and Holly Mitchell
WE ARE DONE!! 30 HOURS, 37 MINUTES, 48 SECONDS!!
Love it! And yeah, I totally teared up reading the articles about Shane. I think it's a great tribute and so glad you all were able to do this in his honor and memory. You did great out there given the lack of sleep and what not. BTW, how does one who is sooooooooo exhausted manage to look like a leaping ballerina on her third leg?!?!?! Hmmm.... ;) Love the capes too!
ReplyDeletetest post
ReplyDeleteNovel? That was longer than the Illiad AND the Odessey. But, I loved every word of it.
ReplyDeleteWhen I met you for the first time Thursday night, I believe the first thing I said to you was, "You flew a red eye the day before Ragnar? You're nuts!"
You had Twizzlers and didn't share! tsk tsk
re: Eric. Masochist - yes. He wants to sign up for IronMan Flordia next fall. Somehow I gave him the okay to do it.
re: you Runnerd - no. Fashionista!
re: me. "Mach 90" HA! You are too kind.
re: jumping pictures. You're welcome, btw. I bet you and Holly get featured on Ragnar's website now!
re: the spot where Shane died. I also thought it was such a beautiful place. Simply beautiful. I hope you too have closure from a year ago.
You did smile the whole race. I'm glad for you and Brady to keep all of us pumped up and slap happy by the end.
re: the headlamp. Boy, am I grateful for our volunteers. They keep us safe, even in the early afternoon.
Funny, I don't remember anyone's night time run. I barely remember my own. I guess I was a little foggy myself during all that time.
I love the series of photos of you leaping down the sidewalk. Awesome.
re: pic of me jumping. Boy do I look ridiculous.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I had a blast running Ragnar with you. To next year!
Alisha
What a wonderful way to honor Shane.
ReplyDeleteGreat race, for so many reasons! Great pics, too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the powerful and very interesting story about your team's experience. At some point in the dead of night one of the runners on our team commented that when they approached their exchange they heard that they were arriving at the same time as Team #1, and we had wondered about who that team might be. This story answers that question.
ReplyDelete