This May, I joined a few other fitness editors and bloggers as part of Reebok’s inaugural team with the Reebok Ragnar Relay in Cape Cod, Mass. A Ragnar is a long-distance, overnight relay race that covers roughly 200 miles with two vans of people on one team made up of 12 runners. On the following slides, I’ll shed some light on my experience as well as what you could expect if you join one of these challenging (but superfun) events.Here are the remaining 2016 Reebok Ragnar Relays as well as the locations so you can check them out as a spectator even if it’s too late to sign up!Race Date // Race StatusChicago, June 10-11: REGISTRATION CLOSEDWasatch Back, Utah: June 17-18: REGISTRATION CLOSEDNorthwest Passage, Wash.: July 15-16: SOLD OUTAspen, Colo.: Aug. 12-13Great River, Minn.: Aug. 12-13Reach The Beach, N.H.: Sept. 16-17 ALMOST SOLD OUTNapa Valley, Cali.: Sept. 16-17: SOLD OUTWashington D.C. Sept. 16-17Adirondacks, N.Y.: Sept. 23-24Michigan, Sept. 30- Oct. 1Hawaii, Oct. 14-15: SOLD OUTLas Vegas, Nov. 4-5*For 2017, Western Europe and Canada.Find out more about signing up here.
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Form Your Squad
The country’s largest overnight relay series started off as one 200-mile relay race in Utah. It was named after 9th century Scandinavian King Ragnar, a hero who was known as “a conqueror, a wild man, a leader, fearless and free-spirited.” Once you complete your first Ragnar Relay, you can call yourself a “Ragnarian.”A team is built up of 12 runners who complete the 200-ish mile relay with two vans. While one runner from a team is covering the distance on their assigned leg of the race, their van drives to meet them at the assigned area where they’ll hand off a “baton” (slap bracelet) to the next runner who’s waiting. The other van of six runners hangs out while the first van of runners is covering. Each runner will run three times in a 24-hour period, with one run that will happen in the middle of the night. Yes, I said middle of the night.(The photo shows members of another Reebok team as well. I’m the blonde in the purple sweatshirt.)
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You’ll Run Through Beautiful Scenery
All of the Ragnar Relays take place in picturesque locations around the country and are a fun way to see a location differently than you might have otherwise. A race experience could be different every time even if you ran the same event the next year and were assigned a different leg of the race.SEE ALSO:5 Vacation-Destination Half Marathons
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Foam Roll Wherever You Can
Once you’re done running your leg, you jump into the van and your driver is off to meet the next runner at the exchange. This is a great time to change out of sweaty clothes in the van if you can and then when you get to the next exchange, use a foam roller on your lower half and stretch while you wait.SEE ALSO: Why You Should Use a Foam Roller
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You’ll Follow the Signs
There’s a Ragnar app that tells vans how to drive to the next “exchange point” where you change runners and explains the route each runner will follow. But, while you’re running, you’ll be on the lookout for signs like these, telling you where to go. They have little lights that blink at night so you can spot them, but you still have to pay attention.
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You’ll Spend a Lot of Time Waiting
Even though you’re running three legs of a race, while you’re waiting for the other van to finish, you’ll probably have three to four hours to chill out. My team spent that time listening to music and taking advantage of ocean breezes from the top of our van along the coast of Massachusetts before we started our first segment of the race on Friday afternoon. (Decorating your van with your team helps capture the “spirit”of the race.)
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You’ll Run a Nighttime Leg
My first run of the race started at about 8:30 p.m. on Friday night, in the rain. It got darker as I ran my first 5-miles on unfamiliar roads and I followed other runners’ lights. You’re required to wear a reflective vest, headlamp, and light on your back so drivers can see you. (I liked the lightweight LED LENSER headlamp because it stayed put and had a blinking red light in the back, too.) If you’ve never run in the dark before, it actually is pretty fun, but it required me to pay attention and be more aware of my surroundings than I usually am while running. My vanmates and I got to rest for about three hours once I was done running, then we started running again at 1:30 a.m. in the morning. My second leg also started in the dark. This seemed less fun. At least on my second run, it was only 3.1 miles, it stopped raining (look out for puddles!) and dawn was starting to break at about 4:30 a.m. I thought, “I’ll be ready for a daylight run next time.”
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You’ll Sleep Whenever You Can
These runners took advantage of the soft sand to snooze on. We took our sleeping bags to a school gym that was open for runners and slept on the floor. You’d probably be surprised that you can actually catch some zzz’s on the hard floor of a school gym surrounded by (snoring) strangers, but you do. Eye patches, ear plugs and a neck pillow help and can be used if you take a cat-nap in the van, too!
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You’ll Also Run in the Sun
After running during the night, you will probably welcome a beautiful daytime run. But, make sure you apply sunscreen ahead of time, wear sunglasses, and a hat or visor if you can. Ask your van buddies to stop along the route with water if you’re not carrying it on you.
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There’s a Lot of Down Time
While my awesome van of runners (now friends) could have used my 9.6-mile last leg of the race to relax on the beach (they were done!), they stopped three times along my long run to cheer me on. It was great to know they were there for me, especially since the first mile of my last leg was in the sand, and the next mile was pretty much uphill. Van driver Libba yelling, “You’ve got this hill!” while driving by on the street helped as I made my way up it.
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Your Van Squad Will Cheer You On
If you’re lucky enough to have as cool of a team as I did, they’ll stop along your running route and offer you water or Gatorade and see if you need anything.
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You Get a Medal
I often joke with my sister whom I often run races with that “we’ll run for jewelry!” but this Ragnar medal is quite unique. While every runner gets their own medal, you need to put everyone’s together in order to spell out a message at the finish line. The only thing cooler than this might be that your whole team is waiting for the final runner (me in this case) and runs the last 100 feet or so of the race with them; so you finish as a team and everyone gets to cross the finish line. For a sport that tends to be so individual, I loved the community and camaraderie that permeates every aspect of this race.
This May, I joined a few other fitness editors and bloggers as part of Reebok’s inaugural team with the Reebok Ragnar Relay in Cape Cod, Mass. A Ragnar is a long-distance, overnight relay race that covers roughly 200 miles with two vans of people on one team made up of 12 runners. On the following slides, I’ll shed some light on my experience as well as what you could expect if you join one of these challenging (but superfun) events.
Here are the remaining 2016 Reebok Ragnar Relays as well as the locations so you can check them out as a spectator even if it’s too late to sign up!
Race Date // Race Status
Chicago, June 10-11: REGISTRATION CLOSED
Wasatch Back, Utah: June 17-18: REGISTRATION CLOSED
Northwest Passage, Wash.: July 15-16: SOLD OUT
Aspen, Colo.: Aug. 12-13
Great River, Minn.: Aug. 12-13
Reach The Beach, N.H.: Sept. 16-17 ALMOST SOLD OUT
The country’s largest overnight relay series started off as one 200-mile relay race in Utah. It was named after 9th century Scandinavian King Ragnar, a hero who was known as “a conqueror, a wild man, a leader, fearless and free-spirited.” Once you complete your first Ragnar Relay, you can call yourself a “Ragnarian.”
A team is built up of 12 runners who complete the 200-ish mile relay with two vans. While one runner from a team is covering the distance on their assigned leg of the race, their van drives to meet them at the assigned area where they’ll hand off a “baton” (slap bracelet) to the next runner who’s waiting. The other van of six runners hangs out while the first van of runners is covering. Each runner will run three times in a 24-hour period, with one run that will happen in the middle of the night. Yes, I said middle of the night.
(The photo shows members of another Reebok team as well. I’m the blonde in the purple sweatshirt.)
You’ll Run Through Beautiful Scenery
All of the Ragnar Relays take place in picturesque locations around the country and are a fun way to see a location differently than you might have otherwise. A race experience could be different every time even if you ran the same event the next year and were assigned a different leg of the race.
Once you’re done running your leg, you jump into the van and your driver is off to meet the next runner at the exchange. This is a great time to change out of sweaty clothes in the van if you can and then when you get to the next exchange, use a foam roller on your lower half and stretch while you wait.
There’s a Ragnar app that tells vans how to drive to the next “exchange point” where you change runners and explains the route each runner will follow. But, while you’re running, you’ll be on the lookout for signs like these, telling you where to go. They have little lights that blink at night so you can spot them, but you still have to pay attention.
You’ll Spend a Lot of Time Waiting
Even though you’re running three legs of a race, while you’re waiting for the other van to finish, you’ll probably have three to four hours to chill out. My team spent that time listening to music and taking advantage of ocean breezes from the top of our van along the coast of Massachusetts before we started our first segment of the race on Friday afternoon. (Decorating your van with your team helps capture the “spirit”of the race.)
You’ll Run a Nighttime Leg
My first run of the race started at about 8:30 p.m. on Friday night, in the rain. It got darker as I ran my first 5-miles on unfamiliar roads and I followed other runners’ lights. You’re required to wear a reflective vest, headlamp, and light on your back so drivers can see you. (I liked the lightweight LED LENSER headlamp because it stayed put and had a blinking red light in the back, too.)
If you’ve never run in the dark before, it actually is pretty fun, but it required me to pay attention and be more aware of my surroundings than I usually am while running. My vanmates and I got to rest for about three hours once I was done running, then we started running again at 1:30 a.m. in the morning. My second leg also started in the dark. This seemed less fun. At least on my second run, it was only 3.1 miles, it stopped raining (look out for puddles!) and dawn was starting to break at about 4:30 a.m. I thought, “I’ll be ready for a daylight run next time.”
You’ll Sleep Whenever You Can
These runners took advantage of the soft sand to snooze on. We took our sleeping bags to a school gym that was open for runners and slept on the floor. You’d probably be surprised that you can actually catch some zzz’s on the hard floor of a school gym surrounded by (snoring) strangers, but you do. Eye patches, ear plugs and a neck pillow help and can be used if you take a cat-nap in the van, too!
You’ll Also Run in the Sun
After running during the night, you will probably welcome a beautiful daytime run. But, make sure you apply sunscreen ahead of time, wear sunglasses, and a hat or visor if you can. Ask your van buddies to stop along the route with water if you’re not carrying it on you.
There’s a Lot of Down Time
While my awesome van of runners (now friends) could have used my 9.6-mile last leg of the race to relax on the beach (they were done!), they stopped three times along my long run to cheer me on. It was great to know they were there for me, especially since the first mile of my last leg was in the sand, and the next mile was pretty much uphill. Van driver Libba yelling, “You’ve got this hill!” while driving by on the street helped as I made my way up it.
Your Van Squad Will Cheer You On
If you’re lucky enough to have as cool of a team as I did, they’ll stop along your running route and offer you water or Gatorade and see if you need anything.
You Get a Medal
I often joke with my sister whom I often run races with that “we’ll run for jewelry!” but this Ragnar medal is quite unique. While every runner gets their own medal, you need to put everyone’s together in order to spell out a message at the finish line. The only thing cooler than this might be that your whole team is waiting for the final runner (me in this case) and runs the last 100 feet or so of the race with them; so you finish as a team and everyone gets to cross the finish line. For a sport that tends to be so individual, I loved the community and camaraderie that permeates every aspect of this race.
