Blue Ridge Relay 2011: Don’t eat the chili

Over the weekend I joined up with Team Lost Soles to run the 208 Mile Blue Ridge Relay (BRR208). Starting at Grayson Highlands State Park in VA we followed country roads and wound our way through North Carolina’s High Country to the finish line in Asheville, NC.

The team was a great combination of runners ranging in age from 28 to 59. Everyone supported one another as we prepped, ran, waited, and finished our legs. Each was determined to finish the race at an 8:45 pace. And after 30 hours 17 minutes and 30 seconds we bested that goal with an 8:44 pace.

The Running Experience

120 teams (1,267 people) started and finished BRR208. Each team had between 4 and 12 people running a total of 36 legs ranging from 2 to 10 miles. To a marathoner or even a half-marathoner those distances don’t seem all that intimidating. But when you take those distances and throw in 13% inclines and -13% declines 5 miles is hardly 5 miles. Here’s what I mean:

As you can see, 62% of the race was rated as Hard or Very Hard, 6% of the race came from Mountain Goat climbs, and only a third of the race was considered Easy or Moderate. What that boils down to is each person on a 12-person team had (on average) 1 Easy-Moderate run and 2 Hard-Very Hard runs.

My Contributions

Each team member rotated through 36 transition areas, ran 3 legs of varying lengths and difficulty, and covered an average distance of ~16.6 miles. For my part, I ran legs 6, 18, and 30 for a total of 15.5 miles. The first two in Vibrams, the third I ran barefoot, and all three were assisted by my trusty Ultimate Direction water bottle, a pair of Zensah compression sleeves, and gravity.

Leg 6 (5.2 miles, +722’/-538′, Hard, 72°, 8:58 pace)

Starting from a church parking lot around 10:30AM I began my leisurely 1 mile (6% grade) incline, then a fast mile descent (b/t -5% and -9%), and back up another, steeper incline (8% grade) before finishing off with a short and quick downhill. My legs felt great going up the first climb and even better on the downhill. It was the last climb that killed me. Of the three folks I passed, one came back and picked me off as my run turned to a jog and finally to a 10:20 shuffle. Thankfully the last downhill gave me confidence and the opportunity to make up for lost time.

Leg 18 (5.9 miles, +249’/-1217′, Hard, 53°, 7:28 pace)

Just before 9PM I threw on my vest, flashing lights, and head lamp and took to the road. For 3.25 miles I flew down the mountain. At one point I was sub-five pace. Once my quads and knees told me to slow the &%$* down, I leaned back and let my toes and calves do the work. At the base I turned the corner and was cold-cocked by a climb which started out at 6% and gradually morphed into an 8% incline. On my way up, in the dark of night, I was startled by a “Hey.” When I turned to see who was hiding in the darkness, my Petzl lit up the face of a pudgy little fella standing in his front lawn staring at me with a creepy half smile. To avoid the banjos I pushed myself up and over the hill. That’s when my “lean back” approach took over and I once again rode the mountain down to the exchange point picking off a few people on my way.

Leg 30 (4.4 miles, + 203’/ -43′, Easy, 65°, 8:00 pace)

Around 7:05AM, twenty-one hours after starting my first leg, I crawled out of the van and began my last leg. Since the terrain was flat and smooth I opted to go barefoot. Apart from screaming calves and aching quads the run went smoothly. Around the 3-mile mark an ultra runner pulled up alongside me, chatted me up for 15 seconds, and then took off towards the finish line. It kind of reminded me of a scene from The Twelve Tasks of Asterix when Asterix raced Asbestos, champion of the Olympic Games.

The Cultural Experience

Had you told me a week ago that I’d be running the Blue Ridge Relay I would’ve thought you were crazy. Now that it’s over I’m convinced that I’m the one who’s crazy (well me, my 11 teammates, and the 1,255 other runners). Truth be told, I’m glad that Robin asked me to participate, and I’m glad that the team was desperate enough to bring me on board. Each and every one of them was overly generous and ridiculously kind. From the lasagna potluck dinner on Thursday to our ride home I’m grateful for their hospitality. Huge thanks to Captain Bill, Will, Bobby, Wes, Ian, Mike, Christina, Laura, Lisa, Robin, Colleen, and Jerrie!

The BRR also taught me a great deal about people, running, and life. For instance:

• People can be sane and organized.
• There are limits to the number of bagels and pretzels one can and should consume and that limit is 5.
• Drinking 27 bottles of water will guarantee 27 visits to the Porta-John.
• When volunteers offer baked potatoes decline the chili.
• Showering between runs has a better aromatic result than not.
• Plastic containers are called tubs not bins.
• Sleep deprivation increases laughter by a million percent.
• Running at race pace three times in 20 hours will make you sore for three days.
• Ultra runners can run really far, really fast.
• Even under extreme conditions 3200 people are perfectly capable of wearing a 🙂 instead of a 🙁

Final Thoughts

The Blue Ridge Relay was one of the most demanding races I’ve ever run. If I hadn’t been training for the OBX marathon I probably would have died (or walked, but most likely died). And if it weren’t for my teammates, the hours of downtime between runs would have driven me insane(r). The Lost Soles are already talking about BRR2012 and given my experience with this year’s event I’d say there’s a chance I’d go if the band got back together.