Running 200 Miles With Some Very Close Friends

Some runners were wearing Chicago Marathon T-shirts and Ironman visors. Others were flashing Nike Vaporfly shoes or a floppy chicken hat. These are athletes who decorate their vans with team names like “Chafed Up Beyond All Recognition,” “Worst Pace Scenario” and “Black Velvet Toenails.” There are teams that put together organizational spreadsheets a year in advance and teams whose members shave their chest hair in the shape of the Ragnar logo.

When competing in such a grueling event, there’s a fine line between “this is terrible” and “let’s do it again,” Amber Sadlier, a senior race director for Ragnar, said. Much of the motivation comes from the teams.

“These are people who value human relationships,” Sadlier said. “Look, you could go on a cruise or to Disney World, but instead you take the money and put it toward Ragnar.” (Beyond the entry fee, the expenses of a van, gas, food, hotels and flights can add up.)

As the sun started to rise in an exchange zone farther along the route, I overheard a woman wearing a 2022 Boston Marathon jacket say, “I forgot about this part: no sleep!” I watched as men curled up in sleeping bags, desperate to be horizontal for a few minutes before their teammates zoomed in for a baton handoff. Soon, in a daze, I found myself following a team wearing hot pink, carrying a flag and vuvuzelas and sporting Ragnar-logo tattoos.

“We’re kind of Ragnar famous,” Angela Voth said of the team that she and her husband, Justin Voth, started in 2012. They are the Bacon Slayers, a group of family and friends who signed up for one race as a bucket-list item and have completed 20 Ragnar races together since. The Ragnar series now has more than 30 relays across the U.S. and South Africa.

As I wished them luck, I looked more closely at the shape of their teammate’s handlebar mustache. “Is that the Ragnar logo?” I asked.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/21/sports/ragnar-hood-to-coast.html