Ragnar Relay Recap - Leg 3 & Finish

(If you haven't caught Leg 1 go HERE & Leg 2 go HERE first.)

With Leg 1 & Leg 2 officially in the books we headed out to the last exchange point to get some rest. About 2 miles after take off Captain asks if anyone grabbed his phone off the bumper... Um no. He stops the van and miraculously it's still there! (Talk about dodging a bullet! Imagine the wrath if he'd have lost his phone! Did you see him? He's scary! LOL! J/K! Love the Captain.) Anyway so everyone promptly passes out cold on the way to the exchange point except the Captain and I (yup still no sleep for this Redhead) so I take up navigator duties as B.o.B is awkwardly passed out once again.

We make it to the Sanford area easily enough and set up camp once again. Since everyone complained about my constant zipping/unzipping of the tent last go around I opt to attempt sleep in the van this time. P-Funk and I settle in to our respective rows and true to form I almost immediately need to pee.... and so goes the rest of the morning. Thankfully P-Funk wasn't sleeping much this Rest so she didn't mind my constant opening/closing of the van door. Once again I gave up on attempting sleep, wandered around and made a few calls instead. (Amidst continued peeing of course)

Just before starting Leg 3

Clearly delirium has settled in.

The final leg was tough for all of us. Every one of us ran during the middle of the afternoon and got a total beat down from the sun. Even Speedy McSpeederson got slowed up a little (and by a little I mean 10 whole seconds... Show off!). Between lack of sleep, multiple runs and the heat we were all a little punch drunk and there may or may not have been more than a few impromptu Booty Shaking dances on the side of the road as well as random commentary of things happening around us. Let's just say that EVERYTHING was hilarious this leg. Everything.

Especially this sign:

LEG 2 RECAP
(Runner / Miles Ran / Pace / Notes from Run)

• Caribbean Steve - 8.6 M / 9:02 - Running at Noon in Florida = Smack Down
  
  
• Jason - 8 M / 7:17 - 2 Road Kills & we had to plot against him to make him drink water!!!
  
  
• B.o.B - 7.6 M / 9:17 - 2 Road Kills including a small child
  
  
• P-Funk - 3 M / 9:00 - 3 Road Kills


• Redhead - 6.3 M / 10:35 - Stopped at 4 Stop Lights
  
  
• Captain - 7.6 M / 7:58 - 6 Road Kills, 1 HUGE bridge over to Daytona and brought us into the Finish line STRONG! Go Captain!!!

My third and final leg started around 3:20 pm Saturday afternoon in Port Orange. My ITB had been bothering me since the last leg and I was running on absolutely zero sleep. (At this point I had been up for about 33 hours straight, not to mention I didn't sleep well Thursday night because I was so excited.) So def a little tired but determined to kill this last leg. As P-Funk handed off to me I knew I could rock this last leg and I started off strong. Within about 2 miles I was gaining on a girl ahead of me and I felt confident the guy behind me was not going to catc h up... little did I know what awaited me ahead... Right about 2.5 M, as I was closing in on the girl, I get caught at a traffic light! And not just any traffic light either, a 4-lane in both directions highway traffic light. FML. Ragnar rules state that runner's must obey all traffic lights and even if I wanted to, there was no way I'd of made it across this super busy intersection without becoming a runner pancake. So I push the button and wait. And wait. And wait. Minutes continue to tick by, the girl ahead of me is long gone and the guy behind me has now came up beside me. FML. There's finally enough break in traffic to run across, mind you the light still hasn't turned for us yet, so we dart across and pray no one hits us. Within a block's length the sidewalk runs out and we come up on an exit ramp. With no sidewalk. Immediately followed by a bridge with no shoulder. Then an on ramp. FML. We jump curbs and dart traffic (R ead: Completely UNSAFE!!!) before finally making it past the bridge in one piece and find sidewalk again. Runner Dude is pacing just behind me and within a few blocks we hit ANOTHER light. FML! Are you serious?!?!? This light isn't too bad, we're held up maybe a minute before we are running again. Another block or two go by and I see a Ragnar sign up ahead instructing to cross at the intersection and run with traffic. Another intersection, another stoplight. FML!!! As we cross and start running the peeps have set up a water stop for me but I am so livid and in so much pain from all the stopping & starting with my ITB that I just push by. My spirit is completely broken at this point and I just want the leg to end. As I continue along I am putting marginal distance between Runner Dude and I and my ITB continues to scream... So of course I come up to ANOTHER G-DARN INTERSECTION! WTF?!?!? Seriously guys... FML! Even better... Santa is at the intersection waving to everyone. I wanted to punch him in his happy little face. Knowing this would be a long one, I started to stretch and up runs another runner that has caught up due to the lights. FML. Mid-ITB stretch the light changes and because I am bent down the two Runner Dude's take off. I immediately pop up and follow suit but I come off the sidewalk weird and am in intense pain. Within a minute I am eating the Runner Dude's dust as we come up on the 1 mile to go sign. That mile was the longest, hardest and most painful mile of my life. I felt like someone was stabbing a knife into the side of my knee. I wanted to cry... BUT as we all know; There's no crying in Ragnar! So I just kept going. I never stopped or walked although I wanted to because I didn't want to let the team down. As I rounded a curve the exchange & Captain were in sight and I painfully handed off. (Jason has the worst pic ever of this exchange. I told him real friends don't take ugly pic of girls like that but he isn't budging on deleting!!!) Then I looked at B.o.B and told her I wanted to cry and how much pain I was in. Thankfully runner's share a bond like no other and within a few minutes another van produced The Stick for me to use on the ITB. I ran into my pacer-turned-duster Runner Dude and we exchanged props for making it through a mentally difficult leg. My pace blows thanks to all the lights but let the record state that I was pulling a solid pace prior. Stupid effing Stop lights!!! *Shakes fist & gives the stank eye*

GO AWAY RUNNER DUDE! THIS IS MY RACE!!!

I hate you Santa. LOL!

Notable Moments from the Van Log

Steve injured his labia/equipment on the bike


"Why is our navigator sleeping?"


"Hey, it's not pretty; it's not sexy; it may not even be healthy; but d@mn it, it's Rangar and it's an Adventure!!!" ... "Hey that's a slogan... write that down!"


Captain - "Do you see this bug?" just before mooning Millionaire & Redhead


Coach Tom felt up Red's... hair.


Captain told Caribbean Steve he needs a Jog Bra

Jason "Does what he wants!"

Captain makes a private video of P-Funk massaging B.o.B

The 3 best days of Steve's Life...

"Patricia is like a big aunt to me!"

"Red did you lend Jason your shorts? Actually his shorts are shorter than yours. Those are shorty shorts!"


B.o.B is deceptively slow looking.


"Are we going to wear our half shirts for the Finish?"


"Red you pee so much. Do you pee your bed?"


Steve randomly announces he needs to "Wash Balls"

"It smells like Tiger Breeze in here!" (Tiger Balm + Febreeze)

Red doesn't care if McDonalds gives you super human Tri-powers, she's still not eating it.

"If I can't please it, I'll damage it" - Captain regarding B.o.B's lady parts.

Texts sent this leg included:

We just started the final leg. Its HOT! We're all pretty beat... But nothing an impromptu booty dance session on the side of the road can't fix!

Texting u from a porta potty. Class has flown out the window.

It's hot & smelly in here.

Running a relay across the state. Will call u when I finish. My last leg is coming up. Yup. I've lost my mind. - To my Dad.

Post Ragnar Ramblings/Thoughts

First and foremost I want to THANK the amazing BRA peeps for inviting me on to Team HALF NUTS! This whole experience is one that will live down in infamy and the moments I shared with each of you are priceless. The whole trip from start to finish was worth every bit of pain because the memories and friendships formed outshine it by tenfold. I can not begin to tell you how much fun I had or properly convey all the random hilarious things that happened out on the course. Would I do it again? HELL YEAH! Actually, we already started working on a list of things for next year!

I also want to THANK Ragnar Relay for putting together such an awesome race and extra special shout out to all the volunteers out on the course. This is a HUGE operation that extends for 202 miles and I can't begin to wrap my head around what it takes to put it all together and make it run so smooth. Major props to the coordinators, race directors and everyone else included. You all did a fantastic job and I can't wait for Ragnar Florida 2010!!!

Well that wraps it up for the Ragnar Recap. I hope ya'll enjoyed and I can't stress this enough, if you ever get the chance to run a Ragnar or Relay Race, DO IT! It will be an experience you will never forget!

GO TEAM HALF NUTS!!!

Official Results: 26/113 Teams Overall & 12th in the Mixed Coed Division

(Official Finish Time: 30:23:36)

The Bling

GET RAGNASTY!!!