Ragnar Relay Race- Team Ladies with Altitude!

Introducing Team Ladies with Altitude!  We are 12 women, moms to 36.5 children (yes, you read that right, Nichole actually participated in this race being about 20 weeks pregnant!), who think that running 188 miles in HIGH altitude over the course of 36 hours, with very little sleep (if any) is a good time!  

12 AMAZING LADIES!!!

I loved being in Van 1!  I was runner number 4.  

 Our relay team consisted of 12 women but was divided into two vans, each with 6 women.  I was in van 1, which started the race at 7:30 in the morning while van 2 got to sleep in and wait for us to finish our first legs.  Each of us ran a total of 3 legs and each person started from where the other person finished.  After van 1 completed our legs, we would then have about 4-5 hours to get to the next major exchange point to eat and try to rest a little.  Each leg varied from 2 miles to about 10 miles.  I personally ran 6.6, 6, and 2.1 for a total of 14.7 miles.  The scenery was beautiful but at times the weather was cold, sometimes rainy, and even hot.  We ran in altitudes from 6,000 to 10,000 feet as we basically ran from one ski resort to another in the Colorado Rockies!  By far, my favorite run was the night one, in which I ran 6 miles ending right around midnight.  It was exhilarating! Not sleeping during the 36 hours, however, took a bit of a toll on me but doing something so challenging and yes, even fun, with awesome women made the experience truly worth it!  What a bonding experience!  I'd love to do this again but I'm pretty sure the next time will be at sea-level!

Getting ready to start the race.  It was super cold that morning!

"Resting" outside of a high school gymnasium

Getting ready for the night run!

Here Jenny is finishing up a run and is about to pass off the baton (slap bracelet) to Haley who is about to start her run. Then we jumped in the car and drove me to where Haley finished her leg so that I could begin mine.  

Welcoming in a runner at a major exchange with the whole team!

At Copper Mountain resort, a major exchange point.

After Van 1 was done, we had a few hours to wait for Van 2 to finish the race.  So, we relaxed and enjoyed well-earned burgers and fries at a restaurant at the base of an Aspen resort.