JB's Race Report - Ragnar LV

Wow. Another Ragnar Relay has come and gone.

For me, this race in particular was divided into two completely different experiences: the running and the van.

As far as the running went, this was probably my worst Ragnar to date. Blame it on me being sick, out of shape or having a bad knee...whatever, I just wasn't running well.

As for the van, this may have been the most fun I've had in a van on any Ragnar. I'm not sure why, but we had an absolute blast in Van #1, not to mention that the team as a whole put in a performance much faster than any Ragnar we have ever run.

Okay, here's my report.

Leg 5; 3.5 miles; Easy
This leg was 3.5 miles of pure rollers straight down the Valley of Fire Highway. I don't tend to do so well on rollers and the scorching heat didn't help out any. To be perfectly honest, I really don't even remember this leg. I couldn't tell you where it began, what types of surroundings I ran through, or where it ended. Wow.....that's really weird.

Leg 17; 3.6 miles; Moderate
This was my favorite leg; I ran it alright and had a great time doing it. It started off with a super steep climb of about 50 yards to get out of Las Vegas Bay and onto Lakeshore Road where I ran along Lake Mead for the rest of my run. I was all alone the entire time - no red butt lamps ahead of me and no bobbing headlamps behind me. It was great. Just me, the cool weather and the half-moon reflecting off the lake. There was a climb right in the middle of the leg that definitely caught my attention. It probably picked up 250 feet or so within the course of a mile, but then it was all downhill and I let it rip. By the time I got to the exchange at the scenic overlook, I was moving at about a 7:25 pace, which was awesome. That's also probably what did me in for my last run, as I felt the old IT band starting to flare up.

Leg 29; 3.9 miles; Moderate
This leg absolutely killed me, and I knew it would. This was right up there with the most pain I've been in during any Ragnar. Angel passed the baton off to me at the Star Nursery on Blue Diamond. I then ran all the way up Blue Diamond until I reached Buffalo, wher eI turned right. Given the tragic events that had happened a few hours previous to this run, I was none to excited to run on a fast, busy road such as Blue Diamond, but after about 500 feet, that was the last of my worries. My left knee started to absolutely kill me and I could tell my IT band had had it. I had never walked in any Ragnar, and I wasn't about to start now, so I didn't, but man did this leg suck. Having to stop at a red light at Rainbow so about 10 more runners could catch me didn't help too much either. What DID help was Chasqui Dennis showing up and running with me and then driving along beside me blasting some of my favorite tunes out of his car. Dennis, even though you weren't on the roster for this race, you showed up when we needed it most.

Despite the brutal runs, I had an absolute BLAST this race. Chasquis Nick, McKay, Belinda, Aaron and Angel made Van 1 an absolute riot and I'd do it again in a second.

I wouldn't feel right finishing this post without mentioning our fellow Ragnar runner who passed away during the race after being hit by a drunk driver. Knowing that it could just as easily have been anybody else on the course is a sobering thought to say the least, but I am so thankful that we were protected and had a safe and fun race. If you're ever curious about how tightly knit the Ragnar family is, check out Ragnar's Facebook page and the outpouring of support from all the teams toward the race itself as well as the family and friends affected by the tragedy.

Despite this incident, I think it's safe to say that every single Chasqui old and new had an absolute blast and most definitely made some new friends and had some new experiences. It was an pleasure running with everyone and I can't wait to do it again!