Can you tell me more about Ragnar races?

[Anonymous]

So I went down to Fredericksburg for packet pick up for the Historic Half and at the expo they had reps from other races, including Ragnar.
Sounds fun!

I don't know that I really have enough running friends to form a team, but I know sometimes there are teams that need an extra runner or two to fill out their team, so I was thinking of trying to hook on to one of those.

Has anyone here done this (joined an already established team, of people you didn't already know?)

Are you supposed to live in close proximity to the team? I mean, if I wanted to do the race in Utah (just an example, I haven't actually looked in depth at the specific races) but I live here near DC, is it ok to join a team of Utah people, and just fly out there for the race? Or do teams usually train or attend other events together before hand?

Is there anything else I should know?

Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Ok, so I've done two Ragnars - 2012 and 2013, locally.

I knew the captain of my team, but nobody else on our 12-person team. I was apprehensive about fitting in, about running by myself at night, about having to run 3 times in less than 36 hours, about going without sleep, about the possibility of encountering a bear...

It was a wonderful experience, and I knew going into my 3rd leg that I'd do it again the next year. (I'd do it again this year, but my team decided to become an Ultra team - 6 people covering 200 miles vs. 12 people - and I can't handle that much distance.)

So you register on the Ragnar site for the race you want to do and say you are a runner looking for a team. People will be excited to have you. They'll ask you about your running experience, how much distance you are used to doing, so they know how to assign you. Each runner does 3 legs of the relay, and the distances of the legs are all different. You might have 15 miles split evenly, or 20 miles with a 9 miler, a 3 miler and an 8 miler. It's really random. And every runner will end up doing one of those legs at night, by yourself. (there'll be other people running at the same time, but because they start at different times, you may only encounter a few other runners.) You will have a headlamp and a buttlamp for the night run, plus a reflective vest. It's scary, to be honest, but also exhilarating, doing something people tell you not to do - run at night by yourself.

The camaraderie is great. The lack of sleep can be an issue. Some teams camp out at the exchange points. My team got a hotel room - we all got to shower between our legs and nap for a couple hours after eating. It's not cheap - probably $150-$175 for race fees and van rental, plus the vest, headlamp, buttlamp, etc. But it was a life-changing experience for me - I have always run solo, and being part of an incredibly supportive team in an incredibly supportive environment was really awesome.

What is overrated - the beer tent at the end. You're too tired to care about beer at that point. Nobody really socializes with other teams, at least at the DC one, because everyone is too tired. So you'll meet the folks in your van and on your team but probably nobody else. The swag is pretty excellent, though - great medal.

[Anonymous]

OP - realized I didn't answer your question about whether you could just go somewhere else to run. A lot of teams will have get-togethers before the race - ours did - but not everyone could make it, and it was no biggie. You typically aren't expected to train together or anything. So you could easily run a faraway race. Just make absolutely sure that you're leaving plenty of time to get to the destination because you have to have all 6 of your van's runners when you start, or you risk having to forfeit, I think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
The camaraderie is great. The lack of sleep can be an issue. Some teams camp out at the exchange points. My team got a hotel room - we all got to shower between our legs and nap for a couple hours after eating. It's not cheap - probably $150-$175 for race fees and van rental, plus the vest, headlamp, buttlamp, etc. But it was a life-changing experience for me - I have always run solo, and being part of an incredibly supportive team in an incredibly supportive environment was really awesome.

[Anonymous]

We did a Reach the Beach relay. Most fun we have ever had!