I first read about The Relay in Dean Karnazes’ Ultramarathon Man, where he describes running the entire 200 miles by himself, and, notably, ordering a pizza en route. I tried out The Relay in ’09 for its cocky name, great location, and perfect timing. The May 1st start gave me just enough time to finish finals in Nashville, meet up with a team that needed a sub in San Francisco, and get to the starting line in Calistoga, CA.
Like other distance relays, The Relay is divided into 36 sections. Everyone on a 12-member team runs 3 legs, which range in length and difficulty. I was Runner 8, with an easy, medium, and hard leg over 18 miles.
Leg 1: As the eighth runner, I had plenty of time to worry before lacing up. I went from being excited to imagining having to be wheeled across the stage at graduation. As it turned out, the worst thing about Leg 1 was the light drizzle coming down on the picturesque, vinyard-coated landscape.
Leg 2: By the time my second leg came around, it was definitely dark out. The team van was littered with Clif Bar wrappers, Eye of the Tiger was blasting on our stereo for the thousandth time, and our most prized possession had become the rapidly emptying bottle of Febreze. Teams were spreading out more and more as the race progressed. After setting out from the transition area, it was just me, my headlamp, and some saintly volunteers for the next six miles.
Glowing gear plus a napping coordinator:
Leg 3: My legs felt like sandbags, but the looks of relief on my teammates faces after they’d finished and the mimosas they were drinking were enough to get me on the road again. Fortunately, the van had made a crucial 5am grocery stop; a double shot of espresso can work wonders, even when it comes in a can.
Next Time: I'll be packing waterproof clothing (would’ve been nice), Advil, Febreze, and caffeinated snacks. Can’t wait to do it again this year.
The team I crashed, aka Superfeet:
Best Endorsement: "The race was awesome, more awesome than you could possibly imagine. It was a wellspring of untapped limitless awesomeness. Nothing beats the view of San Francisco from Bridgeway under a full moon, or ghostriding the whip of a 15-person van in the middle of the night, or warming up for your run in someone else's bathrobe at 5am, or running downhill a winding road to the sound of squealing breaks because the truck's behind you and can't see you until you have taken up residence in their fenders." -Devin (whole report here)
And here I thought these things only grew in rainforests. This gateway adventure sport lets you fly without all those inherent parachute/kite risks.
