We started the day at Hardware Ranch near Logan, Utah. It was ten o'clock in the morning. We didn't stop until almost two o'clock the following afternoon. We went over three mountain passes, ran by at least three reseviors, and covered some of the most beautiful terrain in Utah. It was the Wasatch Back Relay, the craziest relay race I've ever seen.
It definately wasn't an easy race. Elevation, terrain, and weather definately conspired against us. But I had over 24 fun-filled hours to spend with some good friends in a van. I got to run almost 15 miles total. If you think about it, it was more like a party than a race!
I had leg 2, which was a relatively easy leg compared to some of the others. My first run was down the canyon from Hardware Ranch. It was an "easy" run, but it was hot outside. We hadn't quite thought of the van-shadowing-the-runner-to-give-her-water-during-the-run thing yet so it was over three miles of dehydration. I was happy to be done. Tim had done really well with the first leg and came in second in our starting time group. I quickly passed the girl who was ahead of us, but was then passed by two guys during that leg.
My next leg was down a mountain pass, and I mean DOWN! I would just like to say what a rockstar Tim Richey is for running UP that thing just so I could go down the other side. It wasn't easy. I'm surprised that it didn't hurt my quads that much. I just kind of pushed down as fast as I could. When I got down to the exchange my mom, dad, brother, and nephew were all waiting for me. They had come to see me race because they are the most supportive people I know! (Everyone on the team was very impressed that they came to see me.) My sister and brother inlaw were also there waiting because they were some of our volunteers and that was their schedule time slot and location. (THANK YOU PAUL AND ELIZA!!!) I'd also like to mention that I passed two guys. In a race like this when it's hard to know who's in the lead, it's enough just to know you've passed somebody.
Being in van 1, we didn't have to run at any hour that was too ridiculous. We were done with our legs by around 10 o'clock'ish and had the rest of the night to hang out at East Canyon Resevior where we all got about two hours of actual sleep. The second van was running straight through the middle of the night and we didn't hook up with them again until around 4 in the AM when Tim got to run. I was out on the road a little after five o'clock. I was kind of bummed that I didn't get to run through the mountains in complete darkness with my headlamp strapped to my head. Maybe next year.
I was passed by one girl, who I quickly repassed. I also passed two other guys. This leg was a little disceptive. The terrain wasn't too challenging--I was running through the streets of Kamas, I think. It was a little over six miles. I got on this straight stretch of road that when on for a couple miles. It was also a slight incline. I could see this stoplight in the distance. The disheartening thing about it all, was that no matter how far I ran that stoplight was always a few miles away. It never seemed to get any closer! EVER! It was always at least a mile in the distance. I never even reached the dang thing because we had to make a turn before we even got there. It was the hardest mental game to keep running toward that thing when it didn't seem like my efforts were getting me any closer to the goal. But eventually I finished and then I was... DONE!
Finishing all three legs was the best feeling. Knowing what I had gone through and that I didn't have to go through anymore was exhilerating! I could now relax and enjoy the rest of the race. We still had the rest of our runners and then van 2 to get through, so the day was far from over.
Almost 28 hours after starting this thing we finished as a team in the city park in Park City. What a feeling to run across that finish line with ten other runners who had worked so hard as a team. I wish I could have been there with van 2 on the last set of runs because I know they must have been pretty grueling. I am so proud of what everyone accomplished over those two days.
Next year I will try and eliminate the disconnect between the two vans. It didn't help that most of us were meeting for the first time, or had only met at one of the few team BBQ's. During the race we only got to breifly see eachother at the major exchanges. We all knew we were a team, but I can speak for van 1 when I say that at times it felt like we were out there for ourselves. Especially since van 1 was making such significant gains on our predicted pace time and van 2 would bring us right back to our scheduled time without keeping that lead at all. We tried to keep it in perspective though, and in the end I'm just happy we were out there doing what we were doing.
So the Hungry Hungry Hippos had a good time. Maybe next year we'll actually decorate our vans and make it under 24 hours. I was talking to Tim Richey last night and he and his brother (who couldn't make it for this year's race) are definately in for next year. We want to be more competitive and try to smash the 24 hour mark. I'm excited. Now that we know what this is all about maybe we'll even train for it--as a team!!!
~28 hours; 172.5 miles (~15 miles individually); the beauty of the Wasatch mountains
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