b-lines

The 2009 version of the Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back has come and gone. Just like my first time last year, I had a blast! This year, I ran on the same team with Geoff and Jill, and Amber’s cousin, Natalie Romrell.

I was in van one this year. I had some pretty tough legs. The first one was a 6.9-mile ankle busting descent down the back side of Avon Pass into Liberty. Friday was a beautiful day to run. The temperature was in the mid-70’s and sunny. The view coming down the pass was breathtaking.

My second leg was a 8-mile climb up to East Canyon Reservoir from the north side. The first 4-5 miles was actually very nice. The climb was gradual and not too bad. The last 3 miles was steep and tough. I started this leg around 9:50 p.m. The temperature was nice and cool. When I got closer to the dam, a pretty decent breeze was blowing, which made it cooler. This leg took me about 15 minutes longer than I wanted it to. Those last few miles were tough.

After the exchange at East Canyon, we drove to Coalville and rested at North Summit High School for the rest of the night. I paid $2 and took a shower, then we went out on the football field, spread out the drop cloth and rolled out the sleeping bags. There was a slight breeze which made it cooler. It was actually very nice. We were able to sleep for about 4 hours before we had to head to the next exchange.

My last leg was a nice, 3.1-mile flat run through Heber. The weather on Saturday morning was overcast and was sprinkling rain from time to time. It was dry during my run. After we handed off to van two on this leg, we were done! Van two got pretty wet during their last six legs. We went into Park City and got some lunch, and ice cream, then rested until it was time to meet the rest of the team and family at the finish line.

Our team – Just Run – finished one hour ahead of the projected finish time at 31 hours and 35 minutes. I had a great time. I’m glad I ran in the relay. What an amazing experience and another goal to check off my list.