Both teams had 6 girls and 6 guys, to make a 12 person team. The relay was 210 miles including the Grayson Highlands State Park, the New River, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Grandfather Mountain, Mount Mitchell, and the highest peak east of the Mississippi River...so in other words HILLS!!!
Here is a picture of my group; we are all wearing our 621 Ninja shirts. Our group's name was the Red 621 Ninjas.
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Here is a picture of me at the start of the race (I have on the red shirt).
Each person ran 3 different legs of the 210 mile run. My first leg was 4 miles and categorized as "Easy". We drove up to the start so I knew exactly what to expect....all downhill. My run was awesome and SOOOO much fun. I ran the 4 miles with a pace of 5:42, which is super fast for me. My run overlooked the Grayson Highlands and was so pretty, I couldn't look for long though in fear that I might go tumbling over. My thighs were burning just from running downhill. We have been training on hills, but not really running down them. The van drove ahead of me and took the second runner to where I was going to finish. Right after my run, I hopped back in the van and we drove to the next spot where runner 3 would start.
Since this was a 12 member team, I wouldn't run my next leg until 11 runners later. There were six people in my van and three of us took turns driving. Since we had to get runners to there next spot we actually got to drive the whole course, minus the parkway. The other 5 runners in my van ran and then we drove on the meet up with the other group and get me to my next spot where I would meet up with the number 12 runner.
This is a picture of the other ream waiting for their runner. There was a lot of driving and waiting.
We met up with the other team while we were waiting for my next leg to start.
The totally cool vans that we rode in for three days straight that smelled wonderful afterwards.
Van down...the other team had some bad luck, but some local folks helped them out.
Elissa, Me, and Kelly as we wait for the next leg to start. Notice the background...so pretty!!
My next leg didn't start until about 8:45 at night, since I waited for 11 runners to run. I had to wear a head lamp, a vest, and lights on the front and back...not very comfortable at all. This leg was labeled as "Hard" because of the hills. It was already very dark and the route was on a busy road with traffic driving all around me. I just prayed and kept going and hoped that I would turn soon to get off the busy road. I saw other vans and runners ahead of me so I just kept going. I got about 2 miles down the road and a van pulled over and told me I had gone the wrong way. Thankfully they gave me a ride back to where I was suppose to turn, but I had just added a huge hill and two extra miles to my what should of been 7 mile route. The van dropped me off and I took off again. I didn't see any signs or anything, I then discovered I had passed the other turn I was suppose to take because the sign wasn't there. I finally just stopped and another runner came up the hill and told me where to go. I was almost in tears, but I knew I had to keep going. Finally, my van drove by and drove just ahead of me to make sure I was okay and that I didn't get lost again. It was so dark and I couldn't see anything. I finally finished my 9 mile run and ended up with a 7:13 pace.
We started again on our journey and the van drove to each spot just like we had done the first time around. Finally our van finished our second legs and we drove to where I would start next and hopefully have time to get some sleep. While it took us forever to get to the next spot due to traffic and getting lost. We managed to sleep for 15 minutes and then I had to start warming up. During my warm up my legs felt like jello, just from having done two legs already, no sleep, and then standing and sitting in the van all day. My next leg was only 4.3 miles, so I knew I would just have to push through the pain. The leg was labeled "moderate" due to the steep hill right at the end. Since it was 4:00 in the morning I could only see right in front of me. The headlamp would of only helped me if a animal jumped out in front of me. They only time I could really see were when vans drove by me. During the run I could hear a stream running next to me, which made the fog terrible. I finally made it safe and sound to my final spot with a 6:55 pace.
Everyone was having a rough time staying awake and trying to drive through the mountains and get to our next spots. We made it through our van and watched the second van start. Here is a video from in the morning...you could tell we were going a little crazy. My van drove on to Ashville where the finish line was. We found a local YMCA to take showers and then went and got some lunch since we really hadn't eaten solid food in hours.
Finally around 1:00, 25 hours later my team finished. We ended up getting 2nd place in the mixed group. Here is a picture of our prize.
Overall I had a great time. I really enjoyed spending time with my group of running friends. I will say I have seen my fair share of porta johns and peanut butter sandwiches to last me awhile. It was some of the hardest running I had ever done, and my poor legs need several days to recover from all the ups and downs. I ended up with about 19 miles, but I felt worse than I do after I finished a marathon. This event is not something you can train for. You can't train for the hills, being up all night, driving the whole time, and not eating. The team is what really kept me going and pushing through the pain. I knew if I gave up I would be letting down 11 other person who had worked so hard to get us here. Would I do it again...ask me in about a week!
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