*Ragnar Niagara blog posts sponsored by Reebok, however, all opinions and expressions of fun are always my own.
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!
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!
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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!
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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).
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.'
*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.'
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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...
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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...)
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...)
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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!
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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!
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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!
To be continued, with Leg 2...
*Thanks to Reebok and my team mates for some of the photos above!
