The exchange took place at 12:46 am. Go van #2!
Brandon - runner #7 (leg #19)
My second run was my night run. It was a little crazy because of the short notice. I also had a lot of adrenaline because of being woke up. The temperature was nice --- I could see my breath. You know you are slow when a pregnant lady passes you. 3.8 miles in total and I felt pretty good at that point.
Ang - runner #8 (leg #20)
Leg 2 was possibly the leg I anticipated the very most! It was my longest run, and it was gonna be in the dark. In the dark meant absolutely no light in the Utah mountains with wild animals. My first concern was for mountain lions perched high above in a tree ready to pounce on me as I ran by. Then my concern shifted to a smaller more fearsome animal. The skunk! They seem ready to lift their tail and spray at the drop of a hat; I couldn't imagine the damage they'd inflict on you if they were startled as you ran by one in the wilderness! All chances I guess I was willing to take by signing up to run Ragnar! After sleeping under the stars on a grassy patch near a lake for just over an hour, we got the call! On such little sleep and freezing temps it was now van 2's turn to face our second legs! Physically I was feeling great and was ready to run. There was only one hold up. My stomach was having some major issues! I believe my sister is to blame and infected me with whatever she gets when she runs. Its called Pooping Paranoia. The honey buckets and I became real tight during this trip! I began my 2nd leg of 7 miles downhill hard in my night gear that consisted of my head lamp, reflective vest and tail blinker. My sister lent me her mp3 player that so "wonderfully" (said sarcastically) entertained me with music that would have made 2Pac roll over in his grave. At one point during my run the player was stuck on repeat and I was forced to listen to "I want to sex you up" 5 times before my sister came to my aid! Oh my virgin ears! The music however did keep my mind off my stomach issues for awhile. I believe this leg was the 1st time we ALMOST had 2 set up the tent and pooper pot! I decided with just a mile left I'd just run faster and visit the honey bucket at the next exchange! The 30 degree temps proved to be amazing to run in! As far as wildlife I saw a few horses, a dead deer and dog as I came into town. My 2nd leg was my favorite! It was a cool crisp night mountain downhill run! Almost refreshing! Really can't get better than that! My left knee did begin to feel some pain and I believe that was due to having to run on the left side of the road. All in all it was a great leg to run but I was ready to see Penny at the exchange and take a trip to see the honey bucket fairy!
Penny - runner #9 (leg #21)
My second leg was at night along the reservoir (or lake but water anyway). It was 10 miles. I was a little nervous at first because of the dark but I went away. I remember on part of the run we were running along a hillside and the guy next to me kept tripping on the road. It was funny but a little scary. At some point we went onto a path. I was so thankful for my head lamp because without it I would have ran right into two big boulders. When we were first on the path, I was mad because it was really uneven but then it evened out and got better. Over all this run was really enjoyable, and I discovered I enjoy running at night; as long as I can see someone in front of me.
April - runner #10 (leg #22)
The 2nd leg was one that I was mostly worried about. We had a chance to camp out for a hour or so before we all started our 2nd legs. It was a cold night. I believe it was in the 30's. I had pants, sweater and a jacket on, head lamp and my reflective vest. I visited the potty many times since this leg was going to be my long one. I was nervous waiting for the exchange for Penny. Ang, Misty and I were all taking pics when Penny came and was ready to be done. I never heard our # called out so I was not ready. I took the bracelet and began. The 1st part was downhill and shortly branched off to a trail along the hwy. The trail was rocky and dark. I had a couple times where I almost rolled my ankle a couple times just due to me not being use to running on that type of terrain. During my run I came upon a stream. I saw many men leaping over it. I looked and thought no way so I just walked right through it. I had 2 run about 2 miles more with water sloshing about on my feet and in my shoes. That was fun. I also ran through a tunnel which was a little scary but what's not scary about running at 4am and hearing animals rustling around in the bushes. I loved my night run. It was cool and hard but I had many things that went through my mind telling me I could do it.
Misty - runner #11 (leg #23)
My 2nd leg was awesome. It was 5.5 miles long. I started in Wanship, UT at about 5:30 AM. The sun was starting to rise by then. The first 2 miles was pretty nice, nice scenery and just a slight up hill. Ahead I could see a dam that I would soon pass. At about 2 miles, I passed the dam and I had a great view of the Rockport Reservoir off to my left. It was BEAUTIFUL! I ran the entire length of the reservoir rounding the tip and finishing at Rockport state park. I kind of cheated with my last 2 miles, when my husband Tim, met me with his daughter, Stefani (who is 13). Stefani joined me as my "pacer" for the rest of the run. She was pretty snazzy wearing her Vibram 5 fingers. It was definitely an amazing experience running with Stefani along the reservoir in the mountains of Utah with the sun rise.
Zoey - runner #12 (leg #24)
I did not sleep well underneath the stars. Once our van was going, I was really worried, because I was sleep deprived and hadn't eaten well. So, I decided to try and sleep part of the legs. Unfortunately, I think that was probably a bad idea because then I was car sick as well. Once I started running, it was around 7:30ish. I started to run, but really wasn't feeling well. I had the blister on my foot, my stomach was sloshing each step I took, and I had stitches on the right side. I saw two deer leap and jump across the highway. Beautiful and breath taking. 1/2 mile up the road, I saw their friend who was decomposing on the side of the road. Gross and more gross! The van stopped at one point, and Ang ran over to give me water and electrolytes, even though it was against the rules. So grateful for that boost! This run was a beautiful 6.9 miles (more than I have ever run before), but I couldn't really enjoy it because I wasn't feeling well and couldn't really run it. It was more of a walk ... but I pushed through and tried to give it my all at the exchange, only to find out that Jill wasn't there. I waited about 3-4 minutes and then the exchange happened!
Random pictures!!!
Free first aid to fix a bum knee
Ang and Shar (from van #1)
The honey buckets!!!
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