This weekend, I ran the Wasatch Back. For those of you not familiar with this race, it is a 180+ mile race--your team runs from Logan to Park City. Each team has 12 members. During the relay, each team member runs 3 legs, each leg ranging between 3-8 miles and varying in difficulty. Each team has 2 vehicles, with 6 runners in each vehicle. The first vehicle will drop off the first runner, drive ahead a few miles, cheer the runner on and provide them with water and whatever else they need. The vehicle then drives ahead to the first exchange point to drop off the second runner, and pick up the first runner when that leg is complete. They repeat this pattern for six legs until they hand off to their second vehicle. The second vehicle goes through the same running/pick up process. This pattern continues the whole 180 miles, until you reach the finish line!
Wasatch Back had 650 teams running this year. That's 7800 runners! My team, A Bunch of Sissies, finished in about 27 hours. We came in 31st overall! Pretty impressive I thought! The theme of the race is "run, drive, sleep, repeat". Not sure much sleeping gets done, but it is a lot of fun to be with friends and run your guts out! This is my 3rd year doing the Wasatch Back. Most of the time during the race, I wonder what in the heck I am doing, and why would I put myself through so much pain. But after it's over, it suddenly becomes so fun! (Is that what it's like having a baby?)
Anyway, here are a few pics of my team, and our journey!
The starting line in Logan. They start teams every 15 minutes from 6 am to 6 pm on Friday. Each heat has about 15 teams starting at the same time. We started at 12:45 pm. Our lead guy is the one on the left in the white shirt, looking at the rest of us like he doesn't know what's going on.
A little van time. You get to know your friends in a way you never thought possible. . . . . 6 sweaty bodies in a van for 27 hours makes you really close really fast!
I refuse to post a picture of myself running. I look like an idiot. But here's some of our guys, one giving a little support to our runner. Some water, words of encouragement, and a 5 second walking break can help you make it up an up-hill, 8 mile leg. This particular one was brutal.
I was in the first van. Here we are eating lunch, waiting for the 2nd van to come to the finish line. We were a little disgusting at this point. We were so sweaty and stinky that we couldn't smell each other, but the other people in the restaurant probably could!
We are at the finish line, waiting for our team to come in. When your last runner is about 100 yards out, they announce your team. Then you all line up and run the last 100 yards together, to get your medal and your picture taken. (Again, remember I am disgusting at this point. Promise I'm cuter in real life!)
The finish line! Way to go team! We finished 31st overall, out of 650, and 18th in our coed division! Pretty impressive?!
