July 19, 2019 | Categories: Fitness
In May 2016, I joined a few other fitness editors and bloggers as part of Reebok’s inaugural team with the Reebok Ragnar Relay in Cape Cod, Mass. A Ragnar is a long-distance, overnight relay race that covers roughly 200 miles with two vans of people on one team made up of 12 runners. In this article for Muscle & Fitness I shed some light on my experience as well as what you can expect if you join one of these challenging running events.
Here’s what you need to know before signing up for a 200-mile, overnight relay.
Form your squad.
The country’s largest overnight relay series started off as one 200-mile relay race in Utah. It was named after 9th century Scandinavian King Ragnar, a hero who was known as “a conqueror, a wild man, a leader, fearless and free-spirited.” Once you complete your first Ragnar Relay, you can call yourself a “Ragnarian.”
A team is built up of 12 runners who complete the 200-ish mile relay with two vans. While one runner from a team is covering the distance on their assigned leg of the race, their van drives to meet them at the assigned area where they’ll hand off a “baton” (slap bracelet) to the next runner who’s waiting. The other van of six runners hangs out while the first van of runners is covering. Each runner will run three times in a 24-hour period, with one run that will happen in the middle of the night. Yes, I said middle of the night.
You’ll run in beautiful settings.
All of the Ragnar Relays take place in picturesque locations around the country and are a fun way to see a location differently than you might have otherwise. I loved that a race experience could be different every time even if you ran the same event the next year if you were assigned a different leg of the course of the race.
All of the Ragnar Relays take place in picturesque locations around the country and are a fun way to see a location differently than you might have otherwise. A race experience could be different every time even if you were assigned a different leg of the race course the next year.
Be prepared for running in the dark. I started my first leg in the pouring rain at 8 p.m. at night on roads I’d never run before. Make sure you foam roll, hydrate, be aware of your surroundings, sleep for a the few hours whenever you can, and have fun!
Read the full article on MuscleandFitness.com.
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