(Editor's Note: this is not the abridged version.)
First, for those of you who have never heard of the Blue Ridge Relay or any type of distance relay, I’ll give you a quick overview. You start by compiling a group of 11 (or 5 if you’re crazy) close and/or random acquaintances. Then prepare for continuous running, day and night, for a cumulative total of around 17 miles each, completed relay-style (3 legs each, leapfrogging through your team of 12), through 211 miles of the most scenic and volatile terrain Virginia/North Carolina has to offer.
The end results - a rare chance to share a sweaty experience with someone other than your significant other; a chance to experiment with alternative re-fueling techniques such as a blueberry bagel ham sandwich with chocolate milk at 2am; and finally, the satisfaction of knowing that comfort is overrated because when you need sleep it can be achieved in any number of awkward and contorted positions.
I was the number 6 runner for Team Mizuno and with our 1 pm start, I had time for a somewhat normal morning. We knew from the start that we’d be battling Norm's Maggots throughout the race, so even though we built a small lead going into my leg, there were a lot of trials and miles to go. Though I tried to remind myself that my first leg was only a small part of the overall distance to relax, I quickly started to panic when I hit the first hill and felt my chest and legs burn – roughly only 1 mile into my 5.4 mile run. I cursed the convenience of the American Tobacco Trail. Although it is great place to run, there really isn’t any section along the trail that intimidates you with steep elevation change. I also made a tactical mistake, and relay faux pas, of not printing out my legs so I could review before my run. I had no idea how long the inclines or declines would last, and my first leg was brutal. Luckily the course elevation change was more of an “M” (downhill finish) and not “N” (uphill finish) because my spirit was close to being broken. I handed off in the lead but gave back some time. It was a lot less than I feared when I was struggling during the run so I tried to use that somewhat positive feedback to keep me motivated.
After handing off to Van 2, we drove into Boone to find some blinking lights so we’d be prepared for our night legs. For some reason, we were unable to make the lights we had blink – a justifiably required piece of equipment for this and most relays. Even after the teammate who brought the original lights got them to blink immediately, after we spent most of our first legs trying, we were unable to get them to blink after he left. Since he was in the other van, we felt the correct call was to get idiot proof blinkers.
My second leg, leg 18, was a nice downhill start with a steep uphill climb in the middle and ended with a nice downhill finish. Typically, this type of leg would not be a concern, but throw in complete darkness and a not so confident runner, and it quickly turns into a challenge. We were up on the Maggots by 2+ minutes (thanks to a 10 minute miscue made by the Maggots) and I was feeling good and hoped to maintain the gap or even extend it. During the downtime between legs, I decided to wear my compression socks and shorts. They made a world of difference – mentally and physically. My legs felt in far less worse shape than I originally anticipated and, since I was blissfully unaware of the course, they helped support my legs during the steep downhill sections. But before you think this was some storybook run that re-defined the race (though it did do the latter), I ended up taking a wrong turn less than 3-min from the finish. I finished, not with a lead, but 3 minutes down. We would not have the lead again and I felt like a goat.
We got as much sleep as possible during our time away from the race. When our van started our third and final leg, we were approximately down 12 minutes – not close enough to give our tired bodies the shot of adrenaline it desperately needed. My last leg was a nice and flat 4.4 mile run at 5:30am. I was looking forward to this one, not only for the flat terrain, but a little personal redemption for the mistake I made during my last leg. We had closed the lead to 6:30 minutes when I started and I was determined to keep it that way.
I enjoyed the run, not because it was my last leg, but I was running during the transition from night to daybreak so the amazing scenery provided a gentle reprieve from the discomfort going on in my lower extremities. I finished the leg with no additional problems and maintained the split with the Maggots. No warm down this time, I found a nice nook in the van and woke up in Asheville. We finished 29 minutes off the Maggots mark.
I did hear about and the results of the impressive feat accomplished by the solo runner (Scot Hayward), but I do have to recognize our driver. He was attempting the unheralded solo drive - all legs, both vans. He came close but packed it in for the last 6 legs. I feel we let him down, once we lost contact with the Maggots it probably made the driving much more difficult and the silence must have made it much harder to stay awake. So that’s my run down and it also adequately explains how I still felt the impact of the runs almost a week after completing my last leg. If you have a moment, please stop in and share your experience!
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