Catch up on what happened during leg 1, leg 2 or our Ragnar prep. 

About an hour after van 2 decided to try to sleep, everyone woke up all at once (except Lisa who hadn't slept). Anyone who was watching us would have found our antics hilarious Leanne wound up using a roll of paper towels as a pillow. Allison made room on the floor and froze. Michelle had 'borrowed' Allison's blanket. My feet were frozen and my ear was sore from lying on my duffel bag zipper. I think we'd all been so tired we didn't even try to find more comfortable spots, we just crashed. As we tried to clear the fog from our heads, we discussed the options of paying for mediocre coffee and bathrooms in the exchange building vs finding a local Starbucks. 

The BEST DECISION OF THE RACE for van 2 was going to Starbucks that morning. We pulled into the deserted parking lot and piled out of the van. There were two 'real' washrooms so we took turns washing our faces, changing and brushing our teeth. This, along with a warm beverages and breakfast made us feel pretty good!

​We headed back to the exchange to meet van 1 and start on leg 3.

The only exchange of the entire race (for van 2) that I missed was Allison's last one due to a bathroom break. I hear there was some sort of epic leap by Ben and really regret missing it! 

As we drove to the next exchange for my leg start, Michelle commented about her foot being really sore. She said something about wishing her leg was shorter in distance. "I'll switch with you." I pipped up. Michelle looked at me like I'd lost my mind. Honestly, at this sleep deprived point it was quite possibly the case. My last leg was 5K and her's was 10K. The girls piped up in agreement, "Michelle! Let us do something for you! Let Cathy run it!"  And, to my amazement, she agreed! 

As we drove into the next exchange, we saw a very welcoming smile shaded under her volunteer cap...Nancy! We got to hang out with her for a few minutes and got a better feel for the whole volunteer process. These volunteers were simply amazing. To cover 300+ kilometers would have been impossible without them. 

Before we knew it Michelle was off.

When Michelle came in she was still able to do her exchange dance with Krysten, but just in different order. Krysten was off, and within a couple minutes sent us a message that she'd been stopped by the lift bridge. Michelle gave me a big hug and thanks for doing the swap, but I was honestly just so happy to be able to help her out. The last thing she needed was an injury and for some incredible reason, I was feeling great.

Before I knew it, Krysten was there and we got to do our last exchange dance. I headed out. After the first turn I found myself on a two lane road with small asphalt shoulders. I was very glad that it was daylight as I would not have wanted to run this close to traffic during dawn or dusk. Thankfully everyone passed gave me lots of space and those going the other way were almost all Ragnar vans. There was a very long stretch of no signage and I hoped I hadn't passed any spots that had possible turns. I arrived at what I was pretty sure was the fort at Niagara-on-the-Lake,  and the trail ended with a left or right option...and no sign. I stood there for a moment trying to decide. Another Ragnar runner came up behind me saying he thought he could see a runner in the distance on the right, so, putting all my belief in this I followed. My watched buzzed for 8K. I'd told the girls I'd text them a bit earlier as they said they'd be grabbing a coffee, so it would give them a chance to get back. I pulled my phone out to text them and as I did I noticed a 1K sign. Oh-oh. I had thought this leg was 10K...I texted them quickly with a note of, "Supposedly 1K" as I wasn't really sure now. What if they weren't there? We'd seen this happen at a couple exchanges where a runner arrived to find no one from their team there yet.  I started seeing parking lots along the trail edge, and the tell-tale white Ragnar team vans.  I frantically looked for the Endorphriends monster van. I couldn't see it. but up ahead was the exchange. Finally, relief as I heard the familiar cheers of my team mates. I ran up to Courtney and did a rather unpracticed chest bump, turned, and nearly took out a cyclist! Ugh. Yes, another near miss by Cathy!

We headed off to the final exchange, knowing  Lisa was getting nervous. In reality, Lisa had been nervous about this leg for months, and, with reason. It was the hardest leg of the entire race (Ragnar even rewarded this leg with it's own medal), a grueling approximately 15K done on no sleep, unusual fuel, the heat of midday, unsupported, having run twice already in 24 hours...and as if those factors weren't challenging enough, the route would take her on a slow but steep climb UP the Niagara Escarpment and then along the unshaded and incredibly busy tourist stretch to the finish. 

Despite being nervous, she looked great. The girls did a Facebook live video as we waited for Courtney. She arrived looking fresh and ready to keep running (this girl was an amazing addition to our team! We love you Courtney!) and handed off the slap bracelet for the very last time. Lisa was off! 

We texted van 1. They were at the finish. We headed into Niagara Falls, remarking as we went at the incline Lisa had ahead of her. As we got closer to the Falls it was slow going. It was a holiday weekend and incredibly busy. Upon arrival at the Ragnar van lot, we were turned away because it was full. We circled the city, getting worried we were going to end up having to park miles away and miss the finish. We found a spot about a kilometer from the finish, grabbed our stuff and headed over. After a few scary moments of getting separated, we regrouped and then found van 1. 

Literally within seconds we spotted Lisa looking like she was just hanging on, but a smile of relief was on her face. I am sure the residents of Buffalo heard our team screaming and cheering her along. What looked like the finish arch was actually the finish for the special last leg medal. Lisa's face dropped when she realized there were still 200 meters to go. As a team we gathered around her and ran, cheering, yelling, jumping, laughing. When the orange Rangar finish arch was finally over our heads and we had passed the finish mat we collapsed into a blubbering team hug. On the sidelines were the photographers from Reebok, capturing our accomplishment. ​

Allison was handed our medals and I know it meant so much to her to be able to put them on her team mates necks. There were tears. There were hugs. There were photos. There were definitely smiles. 

We. Were. Done.
​We are Ragnarians! 

After some more photos and a couple video interviews for Reebok, we slowly made our way back to the vans that had been our home for the past 24 hours. We headed to the hotel for much needed showers and then to dinner. We had a chance to give Allison a card (and whole lot of coffee) as well as gifts for Leanne and Maria who, as drivers (and navigators, and photographers and cheerleaders) had been the most important part of our team. I am sure I wasn't the only one to feel like I was going to fall asleep on my plate. I was back at the hotel at 9:00 pm and asleep by 9:05 pm.

The next day we (well, mostly Ben, Lisa and Leanne) cleaned up the vans and we headed back to the city. It definitely felt weird over the next two or three days to be without my teammates. They call it Ragnover and I definitely had one!

Reebok Floatride generously sponsored team Endorphriends. If you'd like to try the awesome Floatride shoes, you can do so at Rosedale or Whitby Running Room. You can also order them online at www.reebok.ca. They retail for $180. Although my Ragnar posts were sponsored by Reebok,  all opinions and expressions of fun are always my own. ​

​(Click here if you need to catch up on what happened during leg 1 or here to find out about our Ragnar prep. )

I'd mentioned in an earlier post about the amazing support my team gave our shop, gawck. Erick and I had designed and produced all of the decals for our vans as well as the 'tagging' decals for the vans of other teams. I heard multiple times throughout the race that we had the best van decorations by far. As a graphic designer and business owner these were definitely appreciated comments!

During dinner after leg 1, we were laughing about the fact that the race went right past our shop's front door at Kingston Road and Woodbine. Erick had walked out at one point and seen one of the Ragnar direction signs right in front of our 'gawcky-g' corner sign and texted me a photo. To show support, he'd popped one of the Endorphriends logo decals on the sign. Well, before you know it Michelle and Allison had suddenly started brainstorming. Within seconds they came up with an impromptu contest to increase awareness of our company. 

Allison contacted Reebok Canada and they agreed to help out! I literally wrote out the details of the contest in the parking lot of Farm Boy in Pickering, posting to all my social media platforms. The whole team jumped on board and reposted it. Thanks so much to my team and Reebok Canada for the amazing kudos, support and fun contest! 

Also a super-huge thanks to Janice for stopping to take a pic for me too! 

​Darkness seemed to arrive suddenly for us in van 2.  As we drove past my exit on the highway it hit me that... no, I am not going home to bed, I still have tons more race to do! It was a strange feeling. I gulped down my Starbucks and popped open our glow bracelets and started handing them out, trying to catch a second wind. Pulling into the parking lot of major exchange 18 was like a Christmas camping experience mixed into one. People lay on the grassy median in sleeping bags, headlamps and reflective clothing glittered and vans drove by with full strings of Christmas lights. 

Michelle mentioned that she and Ben would be happy to run with any of us through the night legs if we felt unsafe. Given my route was right along busy Lakeshore Boulevard starting at around 11:30 pm, I felt pretty safe. I was prepared for the heckling considering it was the Friday night of a long weekend. Allison would run with Ben (who was neatly polishing off pretty much the entire Martin Goodman Trail through Toronto in his second leg) and Michelle with Lisa who  would be running in more deserted locations.

Michelle and Leanne got to work on popping batteries into our headlamps only to realize they already had batteries! We wandered around the dark exchange chatting and finally finding van 2 of JPsTeam Sole Sisters! Those hugs were much appreciated.

Before we knew it van 1 was there. You wouldn't know that this team had been running and traveling all day based on our energy! I seriously think that getting out at every exchange point kept me going. I just never gave myself a chance to realize I might be tired!

We all hovered around the exchange area watching for headlamps turning the corner. Ben arrived to cheers from the team and continued onward with Allison who looked pretty pleased to have a matchy-matchy teammate! 

We zipped over to the next exchange and I got ready. It had definitely gotten cooler, so I decided on my long sleeve Reebok zip and capris. I knew as long as my upper half was warmer I'd be okay. I was glad I'd included a couple options for this leg in my zip lock packages! 

My leg 2 route was pretty straight forward. A tiny bit through Colonel Samuel Smith Park, up a residential street, then straight along Lakeshore Boulevard from the Toronto border, through Etobicoke to the border of Mississauga at Port Credit. 

We waited in the shadows of the park with only a couple other teams. Allison and Ben were suddenly there and did our hug exchange (which would become one of my favourite race photos!) I took off fumbling with my head lamp. My favourite part of the entire race when it comes to route came up during the first kilometer of this leg. After everyone talking about buddying up, I was a little concerned when the first part of my route headed right into the park. Within seconds though, the trees opened up and I was facing the shimmering lake. It was one of those moments that you can't help but smile. As I took in the view, hearing my footfalls on the pavement, a burst of colour appeared in the sky over the lake. Victoria Day weekend fireworks! It was as if someone had wanted to further improve my already awesome experience. With a final glance across the lake at our Niagara destination, I turned toward Lakeshore Boulevard.

Safety wise, I was happy to find that I always had another runner within sight. I also saw several police cars driving along Lakeshore. While there were some quieter spots along the route that made me a bit squeamish, the majority of the route was along the store lined street. I felt strong on this leg which was unexpected. I can count on one hand the number of times I've run past noon and I had expected to be really tired and struggle. Instead, I found myself picking up my pace and passing runners. By the end I'd passed six runners, making sure to say hi to each as I did so as to not freak anyone out! As I approached Port Credit, the number of bars and pubs increased, many with patios that covered the entire sidewalk (this made zero sense to me, I had to detour onto the street to pass). I definitely got some odd looks as I ran by on a Friday night of a long weekend when many people were out having a drink. I was glad I'd worn my hat as it gave me a slight feeling of being incognito. I took to tipping my hat brim down and headlamp up into the eyes of anyone who looked like they were about to provide some unnecessary heckling. I did have to laugh at one comment though, "Hey! It's like mining and running all in one!"

With the increase in bars, I was happy to be soon crossing the bridge to where I knew the lighthouse exchange point was. Krysten was there and we did our dance exchange (no runners were taken out this time). I rejoined the rest of my team who were shivering in the cold. I wondered why several of them had their hands out and gave them high-fives before realizing that they were all pointing to my headlamp which was blinding them. 

Above: My teammates freezing their bottoms off at under the Lighthouse in Port Credit waiting for me to finish my leg. 
Below left: Selfies just don't come out very well on dark streets at midnight!
​Below right: No runners (or cyclists) were endangered during our leg 2 exchange! 

Below: I am thoroughly impressed with our ability to run these night legs. Van 2 started our second relay legs just before midnight and ran through till about 4:00 am. We were tired and still had at least 12 hours of race ahead of us. Ben, Eric and Michelle also jumped in to run with anyone who wanted a buddy to run through the dark night. It was simply amazing to see the support of teams at each exchange. 

Below: Perhaps the biggest challenge of the race...keeping everything charged!

Once van 2's leg 2 runs were complete and we'd handed off the baton to van 1, we had a choice. Stay where we were at the very busy major exchange or drive onward to the next major exchange in St. Catharines. This decision fell heavily on Leanne who was to get us there having had no sleep. I don't remember much of this drive, although I was awake. As we pulled into the parking lot of the major exchange location, the sun was hinting colour in the morning sky. We parked among a bunch of other silent vans, deciding we would try to sleep where we were. Within seconds we all made ourselves as comfortable (not) as we could to try to catch a couple hours of sleep. 

To be continued, with Leg 3...

*Thanks to Reebok and my team mates for some of the photos above! ​​

On Friday, May 19th our team arose to cloudy, cool and windy conditions for the start of our Ragnar Niagara relay. (If you missed the post about the lead up to this day you can find it here). The middle of May is always unpredictable weather-wise. In the days prior to the race we'd experienced 30+ degree humidity, record flooding and a torrential downpour Thursday night. It definitely made packing for the relay a challenge! The task was definitely made easier by Reebok Canada who suited up our team with amazing tech wear for the race and cozy clothes for the van. 

Van 2 started the day headed to Durham to ensure we were close to the start in case of any long-weekend traffic (which we still managed to hit!). Van 1 started the race in Cobourg at 9:00 am and was sending us messages as they went. We stopped at Starbucks near Ajax for some breakfast and then finished up the van decorating under a lot less pressure by Mother Nature than the day before! (And definitely some stares by the local Durham residents going to get their morning caffeine fix!)

RAGNAR TIP: Make use of a free chat app and always run with your phone.  One chat for each of the vans and one for the whole team. This was incredibly valuable for real-time information on where everyone was, planning and asking 'live' questions if signage was missing. One of the best ideas was having the current runner send a '1' to their van members when they saw the 1K to go sign, which always ensured we had the next runner ready.  

*A special thanks to Allison's sister Christi-An for meeting us for coffee, helping decorate and take photos! Also thanks to my awesome team for the gawck shout out on the van! Little did I know this wouldn't be the first support for my company they would show Erick and I!

After decorating we headed to the leg 6 major exchange point where we would be meeting van 1 and starting our run legs. We made the rounds checking in, getting our bibs and t-shirts, ensuring our safety gear was approved and watching the safety video. Soon it was time to start pinning bibs and getting ready. It was still chilly (you will notice the trend of cozy purple hoodies in our photos), but the sun was trying to break through the clouds. The van 1 crew arrived with the Reebok photographer. It was great to have our team (almost) all together! For the next 29 hours one team member would always be running!

Allison and Ben's exchanges would become what indicated the switch from van 1 to van 2. Van 1 had rocked their first leg and now had a chance to relax until early evening. The pressure now was on for van 2 to keep up the pace. While Allison was running, the rest of van 2 came up with fun little dances / moves between each team member to do while passing off the 'baton'. While we wanted to run well, we also wanted to have fun. These exchanges would become a hilarious (and heart warming) part of our race memories.

RAGNAR TIP:  Make sure everyone on your team is in it for the same reason. Also, regardless of your goal, be sure to have some fun. It's a long journey and without some fun those hours are going to be painful! I think our team survived on laughter and adrenaline (and maybe Lisa's cookies). 

My first leg of the relay was 11.4K along the Oshawa waterfront, past GM and through Darlington Provincial Park. It was a mix of crushed gravel, road, shoulders, sidewalks and trail. I was glad I'd brought my hydration pack as the sun came out just as I started running. My Activchill shirt kept me totally cooled in the midday sun. And my Reebok Floatride shoes cruised comfortably over the various terrain. About 3K in I got stopped by a train along with one of the Canadian Running and Run2Beer runners. Figures it was a freight and not a GO train!

*Reebok Floatride generously sponsored team Endorphriends. If you'd like to try the awesome Floatride shoes, you can do so at Rosedale or Whitby Running Room. You can also order them online at www.reebok.ca. They retail for $180. 

RAGNAR TIP: I'd eaten breakfast that morning as I would before any race...and then we proceeded to drive around. I realized part way through my running leg that I'd not eaten lunch. Time is weird during Ragnar! Don't forget to eat and hydrate. The plus is that there are portapotties at every exchange, so lots of 'opportunities.' 

I had a bit of a tear-threatening moment when I looked down at the slap bracelet on my arm. I realized that together our team had already run with this same baton and one of us would always be carrying it for the rest of the 300K. It was a pretty cool realization that I was a part of that journey. 

Above is my exchange dance with Krysten...what it doesn't show is the runner coming in behind me that I nearly took out of the race. Video evidence may exist...

I thought that I'd have time between legs for so much more than I did. Van time wound up being it's own amazing thing. We talked continuously, updated our social media feeds, nibbled on snacks and got out to cheer on every single runner. 

I was so happy to see some friends during the race including Katherine and Callum and their very speedy team, Courtney, the girls from Tribe and Nancy (foreshadowing to leg 3 here...)

As the sun started to get lower in the sky and the bugs came out to play, we sent Lisa off on her first leg which meant we would soon be 'off'. We found van 1 at the very lively major exchange 12. The safety gear started to come out as we readied for the night legs. 

Van 1 and 2 being kissy kissy!

I think my bracelets were a hit! Ha ha! 

Leg 1 was DONE for the team! Van 2 headed to Moxies (thank you for taking our reservation!) for some awesome carb reloading (and really yummy chicken fingers for some), while van 1 took on Toronto! 

 A fun last note...Van 2 started our day at the Starbucks near Ajax around...annnnnd finished our day in the exact same spot. We felt a little discouraged given we'd spent the entire day running and driving to arrive back at the same spot. But since there was coffee, we got over it pretty quick! 

To be continued, with Leg 2...

*Thanks to Reebok and my team mates for some of the photos above! ​

Ragnar relays are well known to require a lot of preparation. Planning running legs, team names, reading the race bible, keeping track of last minute route changes, accommodation, food, etc. Our team Endorphriends had all of this planning--and more! Allison wasn't just the captain of our team, she was also an ambassador for the race and we all tried to help her out as much as we could. And then there the amazing sponsorship of our team by Reebok. While planning our own packing lists in the weeks prior to the race, we were also coordinating fun runs, blog posts, and trying out products that would keep us well-geared during the race. 

Above all of this, I had a few extras up my sleeve...

Given I'm a graphic designer and one of the products our company gawck produces  is automotive grade decals, it was an easy team decision to determine who would be in charge of van decorations! I got started on the logo design months before. My play-on-words team name suggestion evolved to include the logo and little 'endorphriends' monsters. 

Days prior to the race, our shop was full of the little monsters. They were coming off the printer as full logos for each side and front of the van. Seventy 8" monsters  were making their way to the trimmer to but cut out and masked. And 150 (each team member had their own monster character) of 'You've been Phriended!' circle decals were being pumped out to get ready for all the team van tagging we'd be doing! Erick gave me installation tips and tricks (our shop fridge is still covered in monsters) since there would likely not be a lot of time to get everything done, and I would need to be able to instruct my team on how to do the install as well. 

Meanwhile, I had another production line happening at home! I'd wanted to create a little gift for the members of my team and decided to create custom handmade wrap bracelets.  Each disk was hand stamped with love with our team name and in the colours of our individual monsters. 

I also made some 'real' endorphriends monsters. Several of these little guys would later make their way to our van 2 windshield for the entirety of the race thanks to Leanne's idea! 

Ange from Calgary surprised the team with some amazing trucker hats at our team dinner the night before the race. These awesome hats were made by Katie from Damn Good Sports Group. Be sure to give her a follow on Twitter or Instagram. 

I coordinated the screen printing of our team t-shirts through Waves Apparel, a Toronto-based street-ware company producing their shirts hands-on, in house. If you are looking for custom shirts, give Russ a call. In addition to making custom shirts, they do amazing collaborations with local artists. I may have purchased a couple other tees when I picked up our order! 

Here's a glimpse of the little care packages that were given to each team member. 

Thursday morning saw the launch of operation Ragnar packing. Given that we were wearing Reebok for the race, it actually made packing very easy! Not to mention fun to lay out nice new gear! I am proud to say I met Michelle's one-bag rule...well, for my stuff. There were three other bags / packages for the install and gifts. 

Planning out the gear for each of my run legs...(a little more challenging than one race kit!)

I met several of the girls in the north end of the city for the trek commute up to the Reebok head office in Woodbridge. Grey clouds were rolling in as we fought long-weekend traffic out of the city. It was going to be a race against mother nature when we arrived! 

We arrived at the Reebok head office parking lot finding a collection of vans and runners. I immediately got to work with installing the larger logo decals. The wind was crazy, so it was great my team members were there to help hold things down! Once the logos were applied I gave a 'monster install 101' demo and we spanned out with decals and plastic squeegies. We'd finished one side and posed for literally one photo when rain and hail started to pelt us. We ran to our vans quickly making the decision to finish the install once the torrential downpour was done. 

The team made their way east to Scaddabush in Scarborough where we filled up on carbs, finalized plans for the next morning and celebrated Angela's birthday! 

Off to the hotel for the night...I think we are about to have a fun journey! 

Recaps of Ragnar Niagara leg 1, leg 2 and leg 3 to follow.

*Thanks to Reebok and my team mates for some of the photos above! 

It's hard to believe that after months of planning, Ragnar is now less than a week away!

Today team Endorphriends held our final Reebok FloatRun, this time out in Ajax along the same waterfront trail route Ragnar will take us next Friday! The theme of this run was Be More Human and as part of the event we collected donations for a local women's emergency shelter.

We had two routes, a 1K and 5K. Despite some drizzle on-route to the park, the rain held off for our entire event. We chatted about Ragnar and Floatrides (they added some great colour on a grey day!) while the kids played in the playground, we snapped some photos and then headed out for a nice, easy run. Several walkers joined in just as we were leaving. The group gathered afterwards for yummy coffee, treats, chocolate milk, water and prizes.

It was a great way to start the day, get pumped for next week's race and give back to the community with loads of generous donations!


If you'd like more information on Reebok Floatrides, you can check them out on their website or at the Whitby or Rosedale Running Room! They retail for $180.

So many generous donations to Denise House, a local emergency women's shelter

Chatting about Ragnar and Reebok

Headed to the start!