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.
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 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.
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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.
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.
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I pulled out my Ragnar Race bible wondering what I had agreed to! Before I had a chance to look it up, we were at the exchange and Krysten was texting that she was a kilometer away. Ah well, it was what it was! I was admittedly happy that my route was closer to Niagara than my original leg had been. The Niagara region has always held a special place in my heart, especially because it is a place my husband and I visit and know well.
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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!
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!
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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.
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As we sat there, we noticed that there were spots available in the Ragnar lot so Leanne risked heading back (we think it was just so she could run after being injured) to move the van and grab Lisa's Endorphriends tshirt. Lisa texted us, 1K to go. The team stood nervously at the 200 m to go section glancing back and forth. Who would arrive first? Lisa? Which meant Leanne would miss the finish? Or Leanne?
And then, there was Leanne!
And then, there was Leanne!
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.
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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.
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We. Were. Done.
We are Ragnarians!
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!
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!
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Some last notes of thanks...
Thank you to Allison for dreaming up this crazy goal and making it a reality. Thank you for the hours and hours and hours spent coordinating for our team. It did not go unnoticed and made our journey so much more enjoyable. You managed to put together 14 people and make an incredible life event for each and every one of us.
Thank you to Leanne and Maria for being our most important team members. In the future I think that Ragnar really needs to recognize the van drivers as full members of the team. The runners had the easy job. We were chauffeured around for over 24 hours and had to only run a few of those. The drivers navigated to a minimum of 36 pretty much unknown locations with a van full of people chatting about running when they were not. At the exchanges they cheered everyone on and took photos. They did every thing we did--except run, and with the addition of endless driving. They deserve a HUGE medal in my books.
Thank you to my Endorphrieds teammates. Over the race weekend I heard a lot of stories of other teams that really struggled because their team mates didn't have the same goals or expectations for the race. My biggest tip for anyone wanting to run a Ragnar relay: Be sure to choose your team mates with care. Make sure your race goals align. Our team was really great for that, we were in it to push ourselves but not win anything. We wanted the full Ragnar experience and that is what we got. We wanted to have a good time. We had a great time!
Thank you to Ragnar for putting on an incredible event. Thank you for taking another chance with Canada and Ontario. The event you put on is truly epic and I cannot imagine the amount of work that goes into planning and coordinating it. The support you gave our team was hugely appreciated.
Thank you to Reebok Canada. The last couple months have been a total whirlwind since our team partnered with you for the race. We greatly enjoyed getting to know the Reebok team, learning more about the product and having your support before, during and after the race. I admittedly did not know anything about Reebok run gear before this, but I will happily tell anyone that Reebok definitely has some incredible products that runners should be aware of. I am in awe that I was able to wear a pair of shoes that were relatively new to me for 30 kilometers over 24 hours with no issues what so ever. The Floatrides were not just comfortable, they took me from Cobourg to Niagara. Thank you for all that you did for our team (including not sending the photographer into our van at 5:00 am!)
Lastly, thank you to my husband Erick who became an honourary Endorphriends member over the race weekend. He followed our progress continuously and helped us on with our Reebok / gawck / Endorphriends contest. He even signed up for Instagram to be able to follow the team better! When I got home, one of the first questions he asked was, "Would you do it again?" My answer? "In a heartbeat."
Thank you to Allison for dreaming up this crazy goal and making it a reality. Thank you for the hours and hours and hours spent coordinating for our team. It did not go unnoticed and made our journey so much more enjoyable. You managed to put together 14 people and make an incredible life event for each and every one of us.
Thank you to Leanne and Maria for being our most important team members. In the future I think that Ragnar really needs to recognize the van drivers as full members of the team. The runners had the easy job. We were chauffeured around for over 24 hours and had to only run a few of those. The drivers navigated to a minimum of 36 pretty much unknown locations with a van full of people chatting about running when they were not. At the exchanges they cheered everyone on and took photos. They did every thing we did--except run, and with the addition of endless driving. They deserve a HUGE medal in my books.
Thank you to my Endorphrieds teammates. Over the race weekend I heard a lot of stories of other teams that really struggled because their team mates didn't have the same goals or expectations for the race. My biggest tip for anyone wanting to run a Ragnar relay: Be sure to choose your team mates with care. Make sure your race goals align. Our team was really great for that, we were in it to push ourselves but not win anything. We wanted the full Ragnar experience and that is what we got. We wanted to have a good time. We had a great time!
Thank you to Ragnar for putting on an incredible event. Thank you for taking another chance with Canada and Ontario. The event you put on is truly epic and I cannot imagine the amount of work that goes into planning and coordinating it. The support you gave our team was hugely appreciated.
Thank you to Reebok Canada. The last couple months have been a total whirlwind since our team partnered with you for the race. We greatly enjoyed getting to know the Reebok team, learning more about the product and having your support before, during and after the race. I admittedly did not know anything about Reebok run gear before this, but I will happily tell anyone that Reebok definitely has some incredible products that runners should be aware of. I am in awe that I was able to wear a pair of shoes that were relatively new to me for 30 kilometers over 24 hours with no issues what so ever. The Floatrides were not just comfortable, they took me from Cobourg to Niagara. Thank you for all that you did for our team (including not sending the photographer into our van at 5:00 am!)
Lastly, thank you to my husband Erick who became an honourary Endorphriends member over the race weekend. He followed our progress continuously and helped us on with our Reebok / gawck / Endorphriends contest. He even signed up for Instagram to be able to follow the team better! When I got home, one of the first questions he asked was, "Would you do it again?" My answer? "In a heartbeat."
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