Welcome to my weekend.
If you have been wondering where I have been - as I am sure so many of you are - I have been in the back mountains of Utah, running for 28 straight hours and 188 miles.
Well, technically I only ran 3 hours and 15 miles... my teammates ran the rest.
It's called the "Ragnar Relay", the longest and largest relay race in the entire world. My buddy asked me to run on his "team". He is still my "buddy", but only barely. Let me briefly explain how this works.
1. Wake up at 4:00 AM and pile two vans full of 6 people. (Hopefully you like the people in your van.)
2. Drop off the first runner, drive two miles and provide that runner with water. Repeat until it is the next runner's turn.
3. Repeat step number two 36 times.
I payed only $85 to put myself through road hell; to live in a Suburban with 6 other people drenched in sweat and run up mountain after mountain while eating Red Vines and granola bars. Only $85! Really, when you think about it, it's quite a deal because most people wouldn't even do it for free.
I ran three legs of the race, the first one being 3 straight brutal miles of mountainous incline in the heat of the day. After the fourth dead body I graciously stepped over, I knew that this would not be an easy portion.
My second leg was completed at 3:30 in the morning. It was relatively flat and I felt like I was flying through it. Fortunately, the dude wearing the jock strap was so far ahead of me I didn't have to stare at his buttocks for an hour.
It was also quite surreal to run at that hour in the middle of nowhere. There were times that I could not see another runner in the thick of night and suddenly there would be two people that would seemingly appear out of nowhere at a table, handing me water.
We began the race at 7:30 on Friday morning and finished it at 1:30 PM on Saturday afternoon. I got approximately 1.5 hours of sleep during that time.
My wife picked me up at the finish line in beautiful Park City, Utah and I collapsed, exclaiming that I never wanted to put myself through this torturous nightmare again.
I woke up this morning after sleeping for almost 16 straight hours, ready for Ragnar 2011.
61 comments:
So...how did Jockstrap do? :)
DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN BOY!
When you really think about it, it's like it was practically free.
You paid for this torture?
I admire your dedication and physical prowness!
It really would have been worth it if only you could have stared at jock-strap man's buttocks for an hour...and I am just assuming it was a man.
Me thinks thou Cheesy one doth protest too much? W.C.C.
"prowess" that is...
I think the guy in the jockstrap would be great motivation.
Eyes down, run flat out until you're past him and just keep running.
Just found this blog and all I can say is "wow!!!
That's incredible!!! Great job!
You are a winner for going through that. Hope you are able to quickly repress the full memory.
xoRobyn
You're right - most people would not do that for free! But you survived. Now if you do it again next year, it's your own damn fault.
Impressive. Congrats on your survival.
Wow that sound like pure torture. Congratulations?
Wow. Looks like you had a great time (oops). Anyway, the man in the Jockstrap was a distraction sent by the other teams. Glad you made it to the finish line.
Way to run! That is seriously one of the craziest races ever.
Yikes, that sounds like an ordeal. A friend of mine wants to run in the Leadville 100 (Colorado). Insane.
I might do something like this if it didn't involve running, in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night, without enough sleep, and didn't involve running.
Yeah, sounds like fun.
Wowza....you're right, I wouldn't do it for free! HA. Running has never been my forte. So you're out there running in the middle of nowhere all by yourself with no one near by for a couple of miles???? What about hungry wildlife?!!! You're a moving target! I think of these things! Aaaack!
Admiring the fashion of fellow runners is one of the best parts! At the San Diego Marathon this year, there was a guy running it in his tighty-whities with a water bottle stuck in the back waistband. You just don't see that every day!
Congrats on the run!
Wow. Only $85. What was that PT Barnum saying?
My hero!!! Swoooooooooooon!!!
It's like childbirth...
after awhile you forget the pain.
then you have kids that you dish out the bucks for and endure more pain.
so, you're run, as awesome as it was, was nothing more than a mirror of our lives.
YOU DO Rock!
hoping for a phone pic of jock strap man....oh, wait you don't own a phone.
You Rock.
my cousin was running that this weekend. I thought she was crazy too :)
I spent about that much shopping this weekend. You should have just done that.
Not that this was really a question, but YOU'RE A NUT! (but I mean that in a good way). Actually sounds like a very cool experience--next year you need to convince your team mates to be the nudists--show that jock strap how it's done!
Congratulations for doing the run!
I can't wait to hear about next year's run and whether you meet up with Mr. Jockstrap again. Too funny.
In the middle of the night...almost naked people...out of breath? Sounds like my weekend.
(I wish)!
Congrats on the run.
Mary
Hey way to go! I'm super impressed that takes some dedication! I would have totally rocked the no sleep thing, not so much the running.
I'm gonna have to tell my brother about that one...something he'd be interested in!
Congratulations. On both the race and viewing your first jock strap running man. I wish I could say I've never had the "pleasure" but my life is one long hiccup of bizarre.
Great job, runner. Keep on, keepin' on with your bad self.
Isn't that always the reality of it? Every time I finish a half marathon, I tell myself I've had enough, that I'm DONE signing up and training and putting myself through such torture.... and then just a few hours after my shower and diet Coke I'm looking up the next one I can do.
Runners---we're all crazy folk!
Great job, Cheeseboy, and you'll do even better next year!
wow. you lost me at 330 am
A JOCKSTRAP???? Hahahahahaha! Okay ... so when you hit 500 followers here's a video idea .... nah ... never mind!
We were in Wanship/Coalville this weekend and saw the Port-a-Potties set up for the racers- so in a way I feel like I was witness to it... There was some discussion yesterday of my family participating, but while my brother WILL get down to 3% body weight, wear a crushed blue velvet speedo and pose in front of a bunch of people, he will not run... Too boring.
This sounds like my idea of living hell...I do hope you recover from this ordeal soon. But look on the bright side, it made a hilarious blog post! :D
Yoy are crazy to do that, but it sounds kind of fun. I have a feeling if it was an individual sport it would be hard to get guys to do it, but once you get friends and coworkers putting on the pressure to do it as a team, a guy will do anything.
okay... a wacky way to spend the weekend. But I wonder why you could not sleep when it was not your turn to run? maybe from the stench of the other runners in the van? $85, running, sweating, jock strap peeks and stuck in a van with smelly sweaty dudes... nah... not my idea of fun. But congrats on living through it!
You run, too? Sounds painful, but at least you found good blogging material out of it! Congratulations on your run!
Um.
I'm tired just reading this.
During our hike this past weekend in which the first mile is short switchbacks straight up for 500 ft, we saw a few runners and every time they'd pass we just muttered "Crazies." I don't know how you do it!
omg, and i can only imagine how hot it must have been too :(
the only thing i like about this exhausting-sounding post is the red vines and granola :) yum.
seriously though. good for you, man!
Congratulations Cheeseboy! This is an accomplishment to be proud of!
I would pay double to run behind a sweaty dude in a jock strap. That's one of the things on my bucket list.
Wow! Congratulations!
Do you suppose the guy running in the jock strap has a blog? I wonder what he'd have to say about the race. Maybe it went like this..."I paid $85 and they insisted I wear some kind of clothing! Ridiculous!"
Well which clever and witty team were you guys? Us?
#1* (*In Our Weight Division)
Good luck in 2011. I'll never do that one again! I realized I can't run in the upper atmosphere. Yuck. Exercise is for losers and skinny people.
Great job Abe!!!!!! I am so impressed that you are a runner. I can only do this in my dreams and even then it would never include running in the middle of the night with no one else around me!
Did you run 3 hours 15 miles total? Or did you run that for each of your 3 legs?
That is freakin awesome! I wanna put myself through that hell some day! Why, I do not know but i so wanna! I'd do anything for a chance to run behind 'Jockstrap Dude'!
Honeybuckets!!! I too ran 9.6 miles at midnight and was scared out of my mind that I'd be attacked by coyotes, or worse- skunks! But I finished unscathed, except for the occasional support guys hiding in complete darkness until they were 2 steps in front of me!
Just had to let you know I told your- "The time I pooped my pants while jogging" story to my van full of thirty somethings a couple of times. I think the laughter kept us going to the finish line.
And we actually missed a hand off because we were gawking at the speedo team. Our teammate had to come and find us- "I've been standing here for a couple minutes guys!" Woopsie.
See you in 2011!
Wow, that was some challenge - good for you. Looks like you got to see a full moon too ;0)
Way to go. I think you have to legally change your name to CheeseMAN now.
Wow! I am impressed... and yeah I think you got screwed out of $85 ;)
Yeah, my husband and I would totally so that. Awesome sauce.
You're the second blog I've read who did this and the third person I know of.
I suddenly feel like I've missed out on something big.
Hold on..... *gasp, struggling for breath* nevermind, can't make it up the stairs without dying!
Wow, you've inspired me to keep up with my time-honored tradition of NOT running...
LOL! I didn't know about the jock strap...sick! I about passed out at the man wearing underwear as he raced across the finish line...let alone a jock strap! SICK! Congrats!! It was fun to see you come in!
I salute your determination...and lunacy...from the comfort of my dining chair. Bravo!
Well darn, you are an inspiration and now I feel lazy. Congrats on POTW.
I wanted to celebrate my retirement by doing something I'd never done before and that would challenge me. I ran a marathon. During it I wondered if I could finish. After, I couldn't wait to do another! Good for you!
You are the man! That sounds like a tough couple of days, but I can see why you might get high on making it through the experience. And, hey, $85 was definitely a bargain...
You Nigerians are amazing runners.
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