Ragnar Relay Adirondacks 2014

This past weekend was my third Ragnar Relay Adirondacks! Ragnar Relay is a 200 mile relay race from Saratoga, NY to Lake Placid, NY. My team had two vans, 6 runners per van. This year I was in Van 2 after two years of being in Van 1. I got to see what the course was like for Van 2!

Van 2 started running their legs at Gavin Park in Saratoga. I was runner #10!

We definitely had some gorgeous weather this year for RagnarADK!

Friday afternoon I had my first leg, 4.7 miles in Glens Falls. It was getting hot and my legs were feeling kind of tired (theme of the weekend) but I pushed through!

Leg 1 – 4.7 mi
Average Pace – 10:25

Our team, the Fitastics, was 80s inspired, hence the  hot pink tights I was wearing!

Our team ran all the way to Lake George, where the next major exchange was, and we handed off to Van 1.

Soon it was time for us to get some actual dinner! We all went to the ADK Pub & Brewery in Lake George for dinner, which was fun! It was cool to see all the other Ragnar teams there, all decked out in their team costumes and running gear.

We went to the next major exchange point to meet up with Van 1 when they were done with their second legs. We also tried to get some sleep, but I didn’t get much. The exchange was located at a high school and we had some designated sleeping areas where we slept right out under the stars. My next leg was in the middle of the night at around 3:30am in Westport along Lake Champlain, and was also my longest leg.

Leg 2 – 8.3 mi
Average pace – 11:10

This run was so mentally challenging. It was so long and hilly, and not to mention I was running at 3:30am on very little sleep! But thanks to one of our teammates, Emily, I made it through. She ran the last five miles with me, after her own leg. She was amazing! Thanks, Emily!

When our van was done with our second legs, we arrived the last major exchange to wait for Van 1 to finish!

We tried to get some more sleep outside, but again, I didn’t get much. Then it was time to head off to run our final and third leg of Ragnar.

My third leg started in Wilmington and went to the parking lot at Whiteface Mountain. Even though it was challenging, hot, and mostly uphill, it was gorgeous.

I didn’t mind the hill, as long as I had this view!

Eventually I hit a point where I was just getting too hot and tired to  keep running strong, and with about a mile left, I added some power walking to the mix.

Leg 3 – 4.9 mi
Average pace: 12:00

I was glad to be done. Thankfully at one of the exchanges, we had the opportunity to park near the Ausable River. We walked/hobbled down the path, and enjoyed a very refreshing foot soak.

Just can’t get over how gorgeous it is on this course. The one thing I did like a lot about being in Van 2 was the scenery!

Once our final runner, Christine, was almost done, we drove to the finish line in Lake Placid.

Soon she came running up and we crossed the finish line as a team! Yeah Fitastics!

Another successful and fun RagnarADK in the books! Despite some pretty challenging runs, I had a great time and I’m proud for pushing through some of those legs. I ran 18 miles total for the weekend which is indeed an accomplishment.

Want to read more about Ragnar Relay?

Check out my past recaps from RagnarADK 2012 and RagarADK 2013!

So You Want to Run a Relay Race?

What to Pack for Ragnar Relay