Ragnar Northwest Passage!

You might have seen something I've written about the Ragnar Relay before. It's a 24-hour race run by teams of 12 over about 200 miles. ESPN made an AWESOME video that explains the appeal of running a Ragnar:



So, after having run Utah's Ragnar (called the Wasatch Back) twice, this year I ran the Ragnar Northwest Passage, 190 miles of incredible scenery along the Puget Sound, with an amazing bunch of runners. I know, I know. A bunch of over-the-top adjectives. So, how did this unbelievable (one more adjective!) event come together? Amy, our team captain, adopted soccer mom, and runner extraordinaire, put together our Utah/Washington ensemble, the RagStars. Five of us came from Utah, six of us came from Whidbey Island (where much of the race was run), WA, and one came from Ft. Lewis. That's one great thing about Ragnars...you have the opportunity to make a bunch of new friends and bond with the ones you already have. It may not look like fun, but it is. Trust me, it's a blast.

The Sweetie™ and Henry came with me, and we left bright and early Thursday morning. We rented our car and picked up a few last minute items before taking a ferry (a first...you can fit a lot of cars on a ferry, I discovered!) to Whidbey Island. We met the rest of the team and ate dinner at a nice restaurant in Oak Harbor and cruised to Bellingham for the night. We got to cross Deception Pass at sunset, and the view was stunning. The span connecting Whidbey to Fidalgo Island is a narrow, two-lane, 30s-era bridge about 200 feet above the water. Pretty spectacular.

Friday morning arrived, and we made our way up to the Peace Park that straddles the U.S.-Canada border in Blaine. I ran into Derek, Holly, and Owen Leonard, some old friends from Sierra Vista. It was great to see them. We cheered on our first runner, Adam, who kicked things off at 8:15 am, and then the Utah group consisting of me, Amy, Tiffany, Suzie, and Jennie (with Aaron, our Ft. Lewis runner), cruised back to Bellingham to await the handoff. My first leg (since I was runner 12) didn't start until 5 something in the afternoon. Seven miles through flat farm land, with the cascades off in the distance. It was sunny and warm, I was sweaty, but it was great to have The Sweetie™ and Henry cheering me on along the way.

Our van rested in La Conner, a super picturesque town on the water. We started running again at about 10 pm, and my second leg, 5.5 miles started at about 2:30 am. This run had me going up a couple of hills before descending over Deception Pass and finishing at the state park. This time, the weather was perfect. Cool and cloudy. I could see mist hanging over the fields along the side of the road and running over the bridge, alone, able to see the lights up the strait, was unforgettable. A great run!

I had some trouble finding our van after that run. It was a bit chaotic, and I had left my phone with The Sweetie™. After finding her and Henry (yup, they cheered me on, even at 3 am!), I tried finding my group, but to no avail. It took about 30 minutes or so to find Amy and I apologized profusely for making them wait. (Guys, still so sorry!) We crashed at Tracey's (from van 1) house for a couple of hours, showered, and made our way to the final exchange. It was foggy and iconically Puget Sound-y. Lots of trees, green, quiet, and pretty. The Utah crew constantly remarked how lovely it was. No wonder people live there!

We began our last leg, and my turn finally came at about 11:30 am. By this time the fog had cleared, and it was warm again. Just 4.7 miles to go to Langley, where we'd finish as a team. The Sweetie™ and Henry had camped in the car, bless 'em! and we met up right before it was my turn to run. I'm glad they were there; they kept me going. When we got to Langley, I donned my punk rock wig and bandanna (punk rockers wear bandannas, right?) and cruised the last half mile to the finish. It was great to see our team: Adam, Deanie, Tracey, Mel, Tina, Jesse, Amy, Aaron, Jennie, Tiffany, and Suzie there, all decked out in their costumes, and it was an even better feeling to cross the line together. We'd made it!

We took pictures, downed copious amounts of energy drinks, scarfed some delicious white chocolate macadamia nut cookies and bid our farewells. It was a bummer we couldn't spend more time together...I had been so impressed with all of my teammates. I met up with the Leonards post-race and even got to see an old cross-country buddy, Jeb Spengler. (SO good to see you, Jeb!)

So, another Ragnar in the books. Party time, excellent!

Watching seagulls on the ferry

Whidbey Island ferry (but not the one we were on, just in case you were wondering)

RagStars pre-race

Starting at the Peace Park on the border

Getting some rest in Bellingham

Aaron killing it on his first leg

Rainbow Bridge in La Conner, WA

More of the bridge, kinda sorta.

Relaxing in La Conner

The Sweetie™ and a distracted Henry in Langley

Rockin' the head coverings at the finish!