Friday, July 10, 2009

Here's info on amenties that will be available at some of the exchanges on the race course

Here's information on the exchange sites through the race that have AMENITIES!!! And you thought you wouldn't be able to shower!!!! By the way, all this info is posted on the Washington, D.C. section of the Ragnar website.
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Start Line
Where: Canal Place/Western Maryland Railway Station Building
13 Canal Place
Cumberland, MD 21502

Date & Time: September 25th 7:30AM - 5:00 PM

Runner Services

Team check-in

Race bag/participant shirt pick-up
Water spigots to fill jugs/bottles

Fun
Live music (10:00 am - 5:00 pm)

Team starts

Ragnar mechandise sales

Vendor booths

Exchange 6

Where: Little Orleans Campground and Park Area
31661 Green Forest Dr.
Little Orleans, MD 21766

Date & Time: September 25th 12:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Runner Services
First-aid
Showers
Water spigots to fill jugs/bottles

Fun
Live music (12:00 pm - 9:00 pm)
More to come

Exchange 12

Where: Hagerstown Speedway
15112 National Pike
Hagerstown, MD 21740

Date & Time: September 25th 2:00 PM - 12:00 AM

Runner Services
First-aid
Grass to sleep on
Water spigots to fill jugs/bottles
Food

Fun
Live music (2:00 pm - 10:00 pm)
Runners come through 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Exchange 18

Where: Greenbrier State Park
21843 National Pike
Boonsboro, MD 21713

Date Time: September 25th and 26th 7:00 PM - 3:00 AM

Runner Services
First-aid
Water spigots to fill jugs/bottles
Fun
Food
Catch more Z's

Exchange 24

Where: Point of Rocks C&O Access near the intersection of Commerce St. and Monroe St.
Point of Rocks, MD 21777

Date & Time: September 25th and 26th 12:00 AM - 8:00 AM

Runner Services
First-Aid
Water spigots to fill jugs/bottles

Fun
Counting sheep

Exchange 30

Where: Seneca Landing Park on Riley's Lock Rd. (just north of C&O Access Parking Lot)
Poolesville, MD 20837

Date & Time: September 26th 3:00 AM - 1:30 PM

Runner Services
First-aid
Water spigots to fill jugs/bottles

Fun
Wrestling mats to sleep on
Showers

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Here's a short article about running a Ragnar relay....

Thought you all would enjoy reading this about running a Ragnar Relay....

http://www.active.com/running/Articles/Run-Wild-at-the-Ragnar-Relay.htm?act=EMC-Active&Vehicle=Running&Date=07_01_09&Edition=1&Sections=Articles&Creative=Run_Wild_at_a_Ragnar_Relay&TextName=Run_Wild_at_a_Ragnar_Relay&ArtText=Txt&Placement=5&Dy=Wed&lyrisid=20018325&dart=

Run Wild at a Ragnar Relay
By Giselle Domdom Active.com

Whether you're a competitive ultrarunner looking for a challenge or an everyday runner looking for a good time, the Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back has something for you. This 188-mile adventure through the beautiful hills and valleys of Utah is the state's largest race--and the nation's second largest relay event behind the historic Nike Hood to Coast.

What's Ragnar?
Ragnar, the race's namesake, was a legendary 9th century Viking who lived by his own rules."He was a pirate, a conquerer, a wanderer," said Ragnar Relay co-founder, Tanner Bell. "He was just an all-around bad mamajama, and (he) embodies the spirit of the race... It's really just an overnight adventure party with 12 good friends. There's a Ragnar inside everybody and out here we're just unleashing that Ragnar and letting them go crazy."

And go crazy they do. Picture the costume-filled fun of Bay to Breakers meets a 36-leg, (roughly) 200-mile relay that lasts for about 24 hours. Each member of a 12-person team runs three course legs, ranging in degree of difficulty and distance--three to eight miles each. Ultrarunners looking to push the envelope can compete in teams of six.Add in a couple of team cars, night running, a bottle opener finisher's medal, and you've got yourself the recipe for a Ragnar. The series breaks it down as simply: "Run. Drive. Sleep? Repeat."

Wasatch Back--The Original
Growing up in Utah, Ragnar Relay co-founder, Dan Hill, remembers routing local races with his dad, Steve, at an early age. As an avid runner, Steve always had a pipe dream to put on a race in Utah. In 2004, Hill and childhood friend, Bell, made the dream a reality by staging the first Wasatch Back Relay, named after the beautiful Utah landscape it runs through.There have been some changes through the years, but overall the relay takes runners through the same beautiful course that started it all. Teams start in Logan, Utah and travel through the wildflower-filled Avon Pass and Ogden Valley. Then runners climb up Snow Basin before getting into the heart of the Wasatch Back mountains and ending in Park City, Utah.

What began as a humble race with 262 runners in 2004 has grown to a 9,000-person event in 2009. This year's race also included more than 2,000 volunteers and another 1,000 runners on the waiting list hoping for the chance to participate. "The response is amazing," Hill said. "People are so into (the race), and they really feel a lot of loyalty to it."

Why Ragnar?Many of the same runners keep coming back year after year, including Steven Dudsen, who ran the Wasatch Back for the third time."I love the competition," said Dudsen, when asked why he runs Ragnar. "The first time I did it, I didn't really know anybody. Then you're stuck in a car for 25 hours together and you become best friends. The comradery is awesome."Dudsen's team, "The Ranches Rough Riders-Run Angry," started as a group of neighbors from Farmhill, Utah that have become really good friends from the whole experience.

To get ready for the race, Dudsen said the team held barbecues, exchanged emails, and ran together on weekends.Ben Jensen, a member of team "Single Sandbaggers," was never a competitive runner and said he was hesitant about doing the Wasatch Back. So what finally got him on board?"Peer pressure--that's how it happened," Jensen said. ""I got a number of text messages--because I was kind of lukewarm on the whole deal--and the one that finally got me was when my buddy said, 'Pain is temporary, but glory lasts forever.'

So here I am, a Single Sandbagger. I'm gonna run the race."Turning peer pressure into motivation is just one of the ways teams form and runners find themselves in the relay."There's such a unique experience in the team building aspect," Bell said. "With 12 people on a team, it makes it so much easier to train for this event. We have so many first-time runners out to this race because they have 11 other people depending on them, giving them crap because they're slacking on their training, and running with them on Saturdays. It's just an unbelievable experience, and what it all comes down to is there's nothing else like hanging out with 12 or 6 other stinky people for 24 hours and accomplishing something together that you probably could have never done on your own.""Team No Pants" near Avon Pass

The whole race and relay experience presents a challenge, but runners are especially put to the test during two intense uphill climbs in the final legs of the race, fondly called "You've gotta be kiddin' me" and "Ragnar." Despite their difficulty, these legs have really become the heart of the Wasatch Back relay, and have made the sense of accomplishment that much greater.

Looking Ahead
Hill and Bell both said they never envisioned the relay race growing into the national series it is today."When Dan and I first started the Wasatch Back, we definitely hoped it would go big," Bell said. "That was definitely the dream--to really grow it into a huge national running event. I know we definitely didn't expect to have 12 races around the nation."Now the Ragnar Relay co-founders are exploring opportunities to go international with the series while they continue to grow their brand of events here in the U.S. This year, Ragnar Relay has already held races in Texas, Arizona, New York and Southern California in addition to the Wasatch Back. But your chance to run a Ragnar in 2009 isn't over. The second half of the 2009 Ragnar Relay series includes:
Northwest Passage (Blaine to Langley, Washington) --July 24-25
Minnesota (La Crosse, Wisconsin to Minneapolis, Minnesota) -- August 21-22
Boston (New Haven, Connecticut to Boston, Massachusetts) -- September 11-12
Washington, D.C (Cumberland, Maryland to Washington, D.C.) -- September 25-26
Las Vegas (Valley of Fire to Las Vegas, Nevada) --- October 9-10
Florida (Clearwater to Daytona Beach, Florida) -- November 20-21

With races all over the country, a Ragnar Relay could be just the destination event you're looking for. Visit to the Ragnar Relay website to sign up today."Be part of the party as opposed to just watching people," Bell said. "It's a ragnasty experience you won't forget."

Monday, July 6, 2009

I need some info from you and a few things to think about...

Hi everyone,
I will be sending everyone his/her running legs later this week. Since you'll know your legs so far in advance, you'll have a better idea of whether or not you need/want to do any training. :-)

Jen and I are starting to get a better handle on some of the logistics. We're renting the vans (12 passenger) at the Phila. airport which means that you should all plan to come to my place and then we'll all drive down together in the vans.

And, as you've noticed, I've enabled all of you to post to the blog. Well, that is, I THINK I have. As you can tell and already know, my technical skills are not the best, but I'm trying.

In the interest of safety, please send me your cell phone numbers and a name and phone number of an emergency contact. We'll have a copy of this list in each van - just in case, heaven forbid. Also, since you're sending this information to me privately, please also let me know if any of you has a medical condition/medication needs that someone would have to know about in an emergency. I'm just trying to be safety-minded, not nosy.

Couple of things to think about: your preference for team shirt, i.e., tank top, short sleeve, etc. , what type of energy food/drink do you want in the van, e.g., Sports Beans, GU, etc.

More will be forthcoming regarding hotel rooms and requests for equipment. 'til then, feel free to post!

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Our first blog entry!

Welcome everyone to the Mixed Nuts blog!



No, you don't HAVE to blog, but one of our team members suggested this would be an easy way for all of us to communicate en masse and perhaps to get to know one another.



I've never set up a blog before so forgive my mistakes.



I was very impressed at how quickly everyone responded to my "Nut Naming" email. I hope that's indicative of how excited everyone is to be doing this relay!



Jen and I are getting together this weekend to do some in-depth planning, so expect to see an email and blog post