My sister-in-law, Erin, asked me about a year and a half ago if I would be interested in running a trail Ragnar with she and some friends. I had never run a Ragnar, and am not a trail runner, but I thought it sounded like fun and a new challenge so I agreed. After rescheduling the race a few times, Covid ended up pushing the date back an entire year. This May it was finally go time! I didn't do much more than my usual running to prepare, because the trails near my house were still wet and some were covered with snow!
I caravanned down to base camp near Zion National Park with Erin and her friends and I knew right away it was going to be a fun weekend. I instantly liked her friends and it was fun being with a bunch of girls from Idaho Falls! We set up our camp as soon as we got there. Some of the girls made some funny signs to decorate the camp with. We called our team the "Lost Girls."
Ragnar races are relays, so you take turns running legs with your teammates. I was third from last in the order, so I had awhile before my first run. I was pretty nervous because though the mileage was shorter than a lot of my typical runs, I wasn't sure what to expect with it being on a trail with lots of variation in elevation, rocks, etc. It was also extremely hot that weekend, and I don't run in heat hardly ever. I did buy some new trail running specific shoes, which I ended up loving!
Selfie in the tent before my first leg!
My first (and hardest) loop happened to fall in the hottest part of the day. It was 90+ degrees outside and the elevation gain was pretty insane. This loop was also the longest one. In some ways I was happy to get the hardest one over with. I think that run was probably the most physically demanding thing I have ever done. Though it was hard, it was also really cool to be running in such a beautiful place. I did hit a big rock on the trail sort of funny and I felt it tweak my foot a little bit. I ran through it because it didn't hurt too bad and I didn't really notice it too much at the time.
Base camp in the distance:
Ankles just a little dirty!
My second loop fell in the middle of the night. This run was surreal. I thought it would be scary trail running in the dark, but it wasn't at all. This loop was by far my favorite. It was cool outside and there were a billion stars overhead. I mostly ran in seclusion, but I could see the lights from other runners moving on the mountain. I felt amazing on this run and it was just an awesome experience. I had a headlamp and a little lamp on my running belt and it was all I needed!
Cool pic Erin took on her night loop:
My final loop was the following morning. The scenery on this loop was pretty amazing. At one point you run past the Checkerboard Mesa overlook in Zion National Park. It was pretty hot again, but thankfully not as hot as that first loop. As I finished this final leg, some of my teammates got the crowd at the finish to chant my name as I ran by. It was such an awesome moment and the camaraderie was really inspiring!
I was really proud of our team for finishing! It was definitely not easy, but so fun and rewarding knowing we'd accomplished something hard.
