In the immediate aftermath of our first Ragnar Trail Relay, all of us associated with Team Hot Bhattis licked our wounds and said that we’d probably never do it again. When we got back to Manhattan later that night, we all agreed that we should sign up for another one as soon as possible.
What’s a Ragnar Trail Relay? In the simplest terms, it’s an overnight relay race in the middle of the woods, during which 8 people run a combined 200(ish) miles. This year, we’ve signed up for one in Vermont. Sounds nice, right? There’s even a glamping option for out-of-towners that don’t want to bring their own camping gear!
But it also might be a terrible idea. Three of us are signed up to run the New York City Marathon this fall, with another three set up to race Chicago. On paper, squeezing in a Ragnar Trail in the middle of our training cycles probably looks kind of dumb.
So why are we doing it? Here are a few of my best guesses.
We’ve Never Officially Finished a Ragnar Trail Relay
I’m not going to lie. This one is largely my fault.
The marketing people for Ragnar have coined the term “Ragnar Moment,” a phrase that somehow resonates with city-dwelling idiots like me. I mean, watch this video and tell me that you’re not pumped up to run 20 miles through the woods on no sleep!
My first Ragnar Moment was a little less glamorous. It came at 3 in the morning in the middle of New Jersey, when I woke up for my second leg in the midst of a 48-hour rainstorm.
“I wouldn’t go out there if I were you,” one of our teammates said.
“Are you just messing with me, or is it really that bad?”
“I run these trails all the time, and I wouldn’t risk it,” he replied.
For the next hour, I flip-flopped between running and pulling out of the race. I decided on the latter and our team ended up with a big ol’ DNF. Sorry, you guys.
We figured we’d at least get an official time at our Ragnar Road Relay attempt in Cape Cod. Then, multiple people dropped out on short notice and we ran with a team of 10. Another DNF in the books.
I won’t speak for everyone, but even if we sneak in just under the cutoff time, I think it’ll be a good enough reason to order bottle service in Boston after we wrap up for the weekend.
We’re More Prepared Than Ever
Personally, I showed up for Ragnar Wawayanda completely unprepared.
I wore my trusty Brooks Adrenalines, which are great but are also a road shoe. I packed a few bananas and granola bars. And the day before we were set to leave, I realized that I owned zero camping gear and didn’t even have a rain jacket. Dumb, right?
Fortunately, my friend Matt is ultra-prepared and lent me a super warm sleeping bag and a few other things. But if it hadn’t been for him, I probably would have had to fashion a blanket out of mud and banana peels.
I could totally be talking out of my butt, but (ha!) I think that we have a good idea of what Ragnar will throw at us. Want us to eat nothing but KIND bars for 48 hours? No problem! Porta potties are all out of service? Totally fine! Bow hunting season starts in this park this weekend? We’ll figure it out!
Could I be wrong? Definitely. But hey, this time I know that trail shoes aren’t just a marketing scam. I have warm Saucony running pants for all of the worst case scenarios. I even bought myself the Gregory hydration pack that a few Whippets swear by. So, I could be 100% right about how ready we are, right? Right? Right?
Some of the Best Traditions Make No Sense
“Do something twice, you did something twice. Do something three times, and it’s an annual tradition. -George W Bush, 43” -Joe Giarratano
That was all it took for Joe to convince us to get the band together again. Do we complain about how cold it always is during Ragnar Relays? Yes! Do we enjoy sleeping on top of one another in crowded vans or tents? Not really! But I think we all sincerely like each other. I even think that most of us enjoy running.
Sure, it would be a lot easier to catch up with each other over drinks, or at Penn Station during rush hour, or in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. But reminiscing over the weird and painful things that happen during a Ragnar Trail Relay is just our thing, I guess. I’m not about to question an annual tradition.
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