For the last several months, I had been putting a team of 12 people plus 2 volunteers together for the 180 mile Grand Teton Relay. Last year I had heard of this relay, but I unfortunately did not know enough runners to get a team of 12 together. This year, a guy I knew wanted to do a relay and it reminded me of this relay. I found the information and started planning. Unfortunately, he would not be able to participate due to previous commitments. You would be surprised at how much planning goes into a race like this. I cannot even imagine how the race directors felt. I had a team BBQ to go over details to prepare the other runners a bit more. I felt like I was constantly sending emails to everyone.
The week leading up to the race, I found myself not as stressed as I thought I would be. I guess all of the planning the few weeks before paid off. I knew exactly what food and drinks I was going to buy to stock the two vehicles that we would be using. I was unsure how much to get though because 12+ people is a lot to feed. I got enough for everyone to have at least two sandwiches and a ton of snacks. I knew it would be hard to find a spot to sit down and eat between the van exchanges. I stocked the vans with bananas, Clif bars, carrots, Clif kid fruit ropes, trail mix, Annie’s snack packs, red vines (because a treat was definitely needed and deserved) gatorade, vitamin water and water.
I reserved camping spots for the night before. You would not believe how hard it was to find something close. This started to worry me that I had waited too long. Fortunately, there were some spots about an hour away. At least it would be better than being three hours away here in Bozeman. The race started in Ashton, Idaho. Most of the team camped at Henry’s Lake Idaho. It was nice to be able to stand around the campfire and hang out. Relaxing was definitely what we needed the night before the relay. We went to bed at a somewhat decent time and then woke up early to make sure we could get a substantial meal. We packed up camp and made our way towards Ashton. The relay was about to begin and everyone was getting excited!