When Katie and Kyle needed help filling their allotment of twelve runners for the family Ragnar team, KR called on her running buddies, Marnie Herrick, Lisa Sauer and Terri Wynder for help. Ragnar is a competitive relay race held in various locations at different times of the year, involving two teams of six who leap-frog each other. Often called a slumber party without sleep, pillows or deodorant, this unique race turns out crazy costumes, inside jokes, close quarters and unforgettable stories. Our Ragnar "Northwest Passage" 210 mile route began in Blaine, WA’s Peace Arch Park on the Canadian border, crossed Deception Pass, and ended at Langley, WA. KR was thrilled her friends could join in and the women began training in earnest. Terri rolled her ankle during a run one morning and didn’t know if she would be able to participate, so Welcome Sauer, Lisa’s husband, was recruited to be back-up for Terri and also for any of the “oldsters” who might give out. The overall team name was designated the "Mustdashes" (with a moustache themed logo, of course).
Van 1 consisted of KR, Marnie, Lisa, Terri, Welcome, Kyle’s parent’s, Mark and Lisa Christensen, and Mike as the driver. None of our cars provided enough room, so we rented a Suburban from KR's sister, Marianne’s, friend for the two-day race. Our runs took place from 6:00 a.m. to about noon, 6:00 p.m. to midnight, then the next day 6:00 a.m. to noon again. Kyle’s sister’s in-laws let the eight of us crash at their Ferndale house the night before the race after we polished off a pasta load at a local Anacortes restaurant.
KR's sister, Marianne, had the Van 2 group stay at her house - Katie and Kyle, Mike and Amy, and Mark and Laurel. After the race began, the two teams alternated back and forth for the rest of the race using Marianne's home as a base for resting, sleeping and eating the yummy food she provided. KR's legs were 6.3 miles, 4.5 miles, and 3.1 miles. She also ran three miles or so of Marnie’s last 8.1 mile leg. Van 2 members were awesome and made up time each run to keep our overall team on pace. The race was exhausting, exhilarating, and supremely fun, all rolled into one. Would she do it again? "Only if all my teammates joined me. It would be difficult to duplicate the great experience we shared together. We laughed ourselves silly." By the time they finished the race, there weren't many teams coming in after, but they gloried in the moment, receiving their hard-earned medals. Quite the personal accomplishment!
Katie, Kyle, KR and I drove straight from the race to the Red Lion SeaTac Airport for a good night's sleep. The first room assigned to us was obviously occupied (clothes, suitcases, and open alcohol), so we were switched to a nicer, "tower" room. Unfortunately, the new room, situated directly above the ballroom where an East Indian wedding celebration was taking place, reverberated with loud, obnoxious music . Fortunately, everyone was exhausted, so it didn't seem to matter!.
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