Running the Overnight Relay

My sister is running in the Epic Events Cache-Teton Relay in just a few weeks.  It has me thinking about my own experiences with the overnight relays.  My family team (with a few friends, but by the end you are adopted in to the family) ran the Wasatch Back relay, part of the Ragnar Relay series, three consecutive years.  We finished third, third, and then second, so things went well for us.  I also ran with another family's team last year as a last minute fill in, so I have some different experiences in relays.  All this to say that I recommend them for anyone seeking a more team oriented race, or a race that covers a long distance, but not all at once.  However, it is a different sort of beast, so I have some advice for anyone attempting one.  Here goes:

1. You need to have more than 12 people in your pool of potential runners.  Inevitably, someone will get hurt, sick, or chicken out before the actual race, and you will need a quick replacement. Have people you know have been running ready as backups.  

2.  12 runners x a lot of teams x a lot of granola bars and fresh fruit= always carry an extra roll of toilet paper. Just trust me on this one. 

3. Husbands and wives should never be in the same van. After not sleeping all night and running 15+ miles, you might not take it well when your husband tells you to get in your rhythm.  Especially if you already are in your rhythm, and that's as good as it gets.

4.  If you disregard Rule #3, then be sure you take along your marriage counselor as one of your runners.  (Thanks Mardee!)

5. Do not put the sick guy in the back seat.  Here's the story: in an effort to get quickly to the next exchange, everyone piled into our van, with the one who had just finished struggling thorough a very difficult leg ended up in the backseat.  That was an unfortunate mistake because it is very hard to get out if you need to throw up.  Suffice it to say, the first time we turn on the air conditioning in our van every summer, we get a little essence of Marvin floating through our car. 

6.  Train like crazy.  This is a fun race, but it covers some serious terrain, and you will feel the miles in your legs, should you live to see the finish line.  Besides, it makes a big difference if you finish in 22 hours instead of 32.  It is worth it to train a bit.  

7. Don't plan on sleep.  If you do go into a darkened school gym to lay down somewhere, don't turn off your phone, and don't take the car keys with you.  When your van mates are trying to find you, every body in a sleeping bag will look the same and they don't want to make enemies by shining a light in each face.  

8.  Also don't give the car keys to the guy asleep in the van with the doors locked.  It will be nigh unto impossible to wake him without waking everyone else in the neighborhood, which again, makes grumpy neighbors.  

9.  When drinking your drink box, do not feel like you have to sip down to the very last noisy drop.  Remember tired runners have raw nerves, and the slurping at the bottom of the box might lead them to hide the rest of your food so you can't bother them again.  Same thing is true of crinkly cellophane wrappers.  Leave them home or save them for daylight.

10.  If you want the fastest time possible, assign the fastest runners to the longest legs.  This generally means you will want to mix up men and women in each van so one van doesn't get all the rest, while the other van spends more time on the course. 

11. Have fun.  It is great to run on a team, and challenge yourself in new ways.  It will be exhausting but exhilarating.  Happy running.