I could also title this post “I’m sorry I nearly killed you!”
For this year’s entry into the Grand Teton Relay, I decided to opt for the most challenging option, the 6-person ultra team. Normally a team consisting of 12 people run the 180 miles from Ashton, ID to Jackson Hole, WY. But the option exists for those that want to push themselves further. Earlier in the year, I had a full team, but some people backed out, leaving a few spots open. I eventually (barely) filled the roster.
My training was spotty. Without Jess to get me out on runs, my motivation was low. Also, it was a busy summer. Between work, side-work, volunteering and projects around the house, it was hard to devote the time to running. Needless to say, I wasn’t in the greatest shape to run at this level.
The relay was the bookend to a week and a half long vacation. We left Jess’s parents Thursday morning for Ashton. It was a decent day’s drive only to have another night in the back of the car. Since Jess wasn’t running, she volunteered for a couple positions along the course. Our team was in the last wave of runners, so we were able to see most of the other teams start off.
Things started off well, everyone was in good spirits. We decided to run the standard legs for the first third and then double up for the middle section. Other than the heat, we were all doing well. The downside of the 6-person team is that you don’t get the same rest as the 12-person teams do, and you’re running twice as far. As the night wore on, we were all exhausted. As we were released in the last wave, we held up the rear of the pack, eventually all by ourselves.
My favorite legs have been, and continue to be, those done at night. I love the solitude under the stars and the occasional glimpse of a flashing light, signaling that a runner isn’t too far away (or as in the case of this year, just flashing lights on signs). As we approached morning, we finally were passing teams, many of them who started hours ahead of us. While it helped our momentum, we could help but feel sorry for the other teams when they found out that not only did we start two or more hours later, but we were also a 6-person team, having already covered the full distance of what they would be covering. And that’s where all the pride ended for us.
The rest of the race was rough. We were so tired, so hungry, so ready to be done. My last two legs were slow, probably the slowest I’ve ran in years. One of our runners experienced heat stroke, a lady who answered a last minute call for an additional runner, to whom I’m grateful, but also sorry that she ended up going through some misery. I had finished my second to last run and caught a ride with Jess to the next transition point where we received some bad news.
In order to make it to the finish line before it closed, we would need to skip our next leg. To be honest, it was a bit of a relief. But we still needed to make up more time, so we decided to run all our last legs concurrently. As I started to run up the lower section of Teton Pass, the next runner was dropped off at the next transition and so on. At one of the transition points after I was all done, I fell asleep under a tree for probably 15 minutes, but it was the best 15 minutes ever.
Our team still finished (after adjustment for the skipped/concurrent legs) in the top third of the pack. Our spirits weren’t exactly high, but we were all still moving, talking and otherwise glad to be done. We didn’t get the chance to all cross the line together due to the concurrent legs, but met up to have medals donned around our necks and a few minutes together as a team. A few of us went out to eat afterward and then it was back to Ashton for a partial night in the car so we could head back to Bozeman early Sunday morning to be there to help out with church service.
So to close this long post, THANK YOU to Anne, Maggie, Morgan, Andy and Adam for letting me convince you to run harder than one should and for continuing to talk to me after the fact!
