Blue Ridge Relay 2020 Recap

Well, someone suggested it and it sounded like a great idea, so here’s YHC’s recap of his first Blue Ridge Relay. I’m a little long winded at times, so if anyone else decides to read this, sorry in advance.

Heading out: Due to lack of child care, YHC was in charge of the 2.0 on Thursday when everyone was set to leave, meaning I was in the PM van. No big deal, since I was van 2 anyway and did not need to get up early. That day seemed to just drag on. I was just waiting all day to hear Jigglypuff and PT were on their way to get me. Finally they picked me up and we scooped up the rest of the PM van riders and we were off. Us rookies quizzed the vets on various things regarding logistics and they did their best to answer our questions. I was familiar with the majority of the ride, but when we turned off 421 towards West Jefferson, I realized 2 things: 1) It’s beautiful out here. 2) There appears to be some hills out here. After missing the driveway to the cabin and driving all the way to the top (with some potential off-roading) we found our way to the cabin to join at AM van folks.

The Cabin: Wow. What an amazing place. Wahoo and Ramsay had us set up with a fantastic meal of BBQ pork, sweet potatoes, rolls, coleslaw and salad. Needless to say everyone seemed to be full and happy at the end of the meal. We were able to hang out and watch some football before everyone finding a spot to lay down for the night. Van 1 was up and out by 0600. YHC was lying awake at 0630 so decided to get up to see the sunrise. What a site to say the least. Everyone pretty much got up around that time as well. Must be nerves or something? Coffee brewed and YHC fricasseed up some bagel breakfast sandwiches with egg, cheese and bacon and/or pork roll. Again everyone seemed content and we had time hang out again, grab showers, decorate the van, etc. FInally we decided to head to EZ 6 to see if we could see some of our fellow Carpex teams.

Leg 1: We arrived at EZ 6 a good couple hours before I was set to go off. We were able to cheer on our Carpex brothers as they came through the EZ and the next man went off. It was really great to see all the teams as they transitioned through. One thing I did notice however, the sun is HOT already! Thankfully my first leg is only 2.3 miles so hopefully it will be a good warmup for the rest of the race. Triple Lindy unfortunately had two of his legs cut short so we took a page from Team COT and he ran my first leg with me. It was certainly nice to have company. I’m not sure if it was TL pushing the pace or nerves, but I felt like that might have been the most challenging 2.3 miles I’ve ever run. When I was finished and checked my Strava, I was running at a <8 min pace so maybe that’s why it felt so difficult? Glad to get the first leg out of the way. Send Wahoo on his way and off we went to the next EZ.

Off-course: After everyone finished their first legs in Van 2, it was time to send Van 1 out onto the course and then go find something to eat. Lost Province brewing in Boone said they had a 45 minute wait so we decided to just go there and get takeout. They told us we could grab a beer while we waited for our orders and take them to the parking lot, which just so happened to be where we were parked. It was pretty cool to drink a draft beer on the van. They even brought our orders out to us which I thought was pretty cool. I can not say enough positive things about how they accommodated the 6 of us. From there we headed to EZ 18 to try and get some rest before I was set to take off around 2300. Well, we had planned to sleep outside on a tarp but it started to rain so we packed up our stuff and climbed back into the van. 6 grown ass men trying to sleep at 9:00pm in a 15 passenger van was not easy. At least not for YHC. Needless to say, no sleep was had so I just decided to get changed and head down to the start/finish line for legs 18/19 respectively. Van 1 arrived and most of us were standing around chatting when all of a sudden a runner was coming in and no one was waiting. No way it could be Ramsay coming in 6 minutes early on a 5 mile run? Or could it be…

Leg 2: It was indeed Ramsay slaying leg 18 6 minutes ahead of schedule, so off I need to go, NOW! I take off trying to get my vest, headlamp, watch all turned on while it started to drizzle. This is mostly a downhill run so I’m just trying to pay attention to not miss my 4 turns. After the first turn, I see eyes shining in my headlamp and soon discover it’s a dog. It comes towards me and as soon as I pass it right at my feet I of course can’t see it and am just hoping I don’t get nipped in the ankles. I carry on and the rain intensifies to essentially pouring a couple of times. The road has water running where the cars tires typically go so it’s either run in the middle of the lane or all the way on the white line where there is plenty of storm debris to navigate. I pass a runner and he inquires about the dog. Sounds like he had more of an interaction with it. Better him than me. Keep trucking along and pass another runner just as the road changes from paved to gravel. And into the fog. It took a little time to get used to running on the gravel road in the fog. It sometimes felt like I wasn’t running with the road because I couldn’t see the edge of it through the fog. We powered through and back onto the pavement. 0.1 miles before the EZ there is a left hand turn. YHC was so excited to finish that I cut the corner of the turn, not realizing it was a giant mud puddle. It didn’t really matter at this point as I was pretty much 100% saturated. Cruise into the EZ and fist bump Wahoo as he takes off into the moist darkness. Again, very pleased with the pace at 7:35/mile. I think it was part the downhill grade and a little bit of fear that just wanted to finish and get out of the dark.

Off-course: Cruise to the next EZ where I can get dried off and changed. Honestly, about all I can think of is trying to get some rest. Polish off the second half of my pizza from dinner and as soon as Pierogi steps out of the van to get ready to go for his leg, I jump in his spot on the back seat and lay down as best I can. It’s the most comfortable I had been since getting out of bed Friday morning, but alas sleep still did not come. We roll through the rest of the EZs, everyone experiencing pouring rain at one point or another on their legs. We meet up with van 1 at EZ 24 and get a recap of how everyone’s legs went. Triple Lindy comes in, we send off Two Factor (who’s now running legs 25 and 26 due to a van 1 injury) and we head to EZ 30 for some hopeful rest. Pulling into the church parking lot, there are people sleeping everywhere. I was so glad to see a pavilion looking structure under construction, but at the very least it had a roof. We find a place to park and Pierogi and YHC head over to the pavilion. Throw down a tarp on the dirt ground, blow up the sleeping pads and finally get a chance to lay down fully and not in the rain. Was able to sleep from 0500-0630 when we were awoken to the sound of a team looking for their next runner. They must have yelled his name a dozen times before I overheard someone say he had tapped out. That sucks for that team. Fall back asleep for another 30 minutes or so and that’s about it. Better than nothing. Get up because I hear Sour Mash is about to take off up the Mountain Goat rated Leg 31. Caught up with a bunch of folks here. Carpex and otherwise. A lot of folks asked how I was doing/feeling and what my plan was for this leg. I wasn’t really sure to be honest. I decide to grab a little bite to eat and some coffee and get changed and ready. I’m not going to get caught off guard by Ramsay this time!

Leg 3: Leg 31. 6.5 miles and Mountain Goat rated. The directions are easy. 1.5 mile of flat then a right hand turn and 5 miles up a switchback road gaining 1400 feet along the way. Piece of cake, right? To be honest, it wasn’t nearly as bad as expected. One foot in front of the other. There was a beautiful stream running along side the road and a fair amount of shade for a little relief from the sun. I tried not to pay attention to how much more I had on my way up. Just periodically checked my HR to see where I was at. I told myself I wasn’t going to walk unless I absolutely had to until mile 4. Made it. Kept pushing all the way to mile 5. At that point, there was only 1.5 miles to go. No sense in walking now? So I pushed all the way to the top, without walking a step. I was very proud of that. Even more proud of the <10 min/mile pace. Send Wahoo down the other side and catch my breathe. When I crossed that finish line, I felt higher than a hippy in a helicopter. I guess this is the runner’s high I’ve heard about? It was an incredible feeling of accomplishment.

Off-course: Wahoo is on the course now and we are basically following him down the mountain. It was a really cool gravel road with a stream and waterfalls. We took our time and took some pictures and Pierogi did a little geocaching. Thanks to Pierogi for the beers for when we finished. It really hit the spot! When Wahoo gets in to EZ 32, Pierogi is off to conquer the nipple. That was an experience just to drive and then walk up a little ways. It’s definitely on my list of legs I want to tackle in the future. We almost lose PT’s drone, and got ditched by Wahoo so he could get Flenderson to the start before Pierogi finished. Luckily the South Wake guys gave us a ride down to the EZ. It went pretty quick from there, especially since Leg 35 was deleted. Driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway was awesome! I can see how awesome it would be to actually run on it in a normal year. PT decided to run the last leg with TL so we dropped them off and headed to Highland to catch up with van 1 (who had already been there for a couple hours!) We grabbed a beer, hung out for a minute and then headed to the finish to cheer the boys in! We took our picture, and just like that, the race was over. A little bittersweet. Weeks of training and it was done. At least we now had the chance to go hang out as a team again and celebrate!

Finally: If anyone is still with me, I owe you a beer. This is really more for me to remember this experience but at least its one unique take on this event. I have been waiting for this race for an entire year. I almost jumped in last year due to an injury, but was no where near ready to do such a thing and ultimately it didn’t work out. Even with the limited number of teams and diminished food and whatnot along the way, it was an incredible experience. I am absolutely going to participate in this event every year I am able for the foreseeable future. I have already picked so many legs I want to run! It was such a blast riding in the van and being at the cabin with my teammates. Truly 2ndF on steroids. I can’t say enough about my teammates. They all stepped up when needed. Cheered each other on. Lifted each other up. It’s the first time in a long time I have felt that “Team” feeling. Everyone working towards the same goal and putting the team first. Huge shoutout to Wahoo for all his driving. PT and Pierogi for their experience. Triple Lindy and PT’s M for the snacks! Hanson is a legend for running BRR barefoot. Jiggly and all his driving in van 1 and for picking up for injured teammates. Two Factor stepped up too. Thanks to everyone. Ok, I’m still tired and this was a lot of typing. Can’t wait to go back next year!