Wild West Relay Race Report

August 6, 2007 by jon.

  Our HRH team finished the Wild West Relay this past weekend.  This was the fourth time any of us have done a relay and the first for the WWR.  We all were impressed with the race organization and the course.  The course basically followed roads throughout so it was difficult to get lost.  The only course related complaint was that in some places the shoulder on the road was not that wide and we were nervouse when trucks passed by.

  So how did I do?  Not too bad I guess.  I’m always think I can do better after a race and this one was no different.  I was in Van 2 so we didn’t begin our running until after Noon on Friday.  I was runner 8 (Second runner in Van 2).  One of these races I’m going to have to be in the first van just to see what it’s like.  It is difficult to get up and get ready for a race, have the race start, then have 3-4 hours before your first run.  I was full of nervous energy and only running would help that.

  Oh and I was full of something else.  We had stopped at a little country store while waiting for our turn.  Most of those in our van had breakfast buritto’s with sausauge and then had upset stomachs.  Of course I had more than just the upset stomach so I was visiting a port a potty at every stop. :-(  It was only later that we pieced together that the common denominator was the buritto’s.  We all thought it was just nerves.  So keep this in mind as you read on.

  My first run sucked was difficult.  I should put that a little different but I don’t really know how.  I ran it all wrong.  Remember I had my nerves running as well as other stuff so I went out too fast.  I looked at my Garmin after a 1/2 mile and realized I was running a 7:30 mile!  Way too fast.  I tried to slow myself down, but for some reason my body just wanted to run.  You see,the reason I wanted to slow down was so I could save some energy for the upcoming hills.

  When I started the inclines I just melted.  They were hard!  I ended up walking about 5 times in 3.2 miles.  I was pretty annoyed with myself.  It was weird because my mind kept saying lets go but my body stopped.  It’s hard to keep running like that.

  My first leg was again 3.2 miles.  I started at 5900 feet and gained a total of 402 feet in elevation.  My miles were run at 8:08 first mile, 9:37 second, and 11:14 for the third.  See how I killed my self by starting fast?  Total time for the leg was 31:39 for an average of 9:45 per mile.  Some of the factors that detracted from the run were my stomach, running into the wind, the heat (Close to 90), I didn’t bring water and the hills.  I just did not run it well but I finished.

  One thing that I liked about this relay was that they provided a pretty detailed time spreadsheet where they would take a runners 10k time and using a formula, predict how long it would take that runner to finish a leg.  Our team was trying to stay ahead of “Schedule” throughout the race and for the most part we did…except my first run.  I was 2 minutes behind schedule.

  After our van finished we had a beautiful drive up the Poudre Canyon and through a large valley to get to Wood’s Landing in Wyoming.  We had about 5-6 hours to wait until it was our turn again.  Wood’s Landing is a little hole in the wall town with one bar/restraurant and gas station.  The store stayed open late for the runners and the bar served up lasagna and spagetti for $10 per plate.  It was a nice break from the race. 

  Since we had so long to wait we all settled down to try and get some sleep.  Try finding places for 7 people to sleep in a 15 person van.  Not easy.  Matt actually took his sleepling bag outside and slept on the ground.  As for me, I didn’t get any sleep.  It wasn’t comfortable and was loud (About 50 vans there) and my stomach was still unsettled.

  We started running again around midnight.  Matt took off on a uphill course and we drove to the next point so I could get ready.

  My second run was better.  Matt came in a little early so I started at 1:42 am.  I can’t tell you how weird it is to run in the middle of the night with absolutely no one around.  Every other relay that I ran, my night runs were through a town (Vail) so there were at least lights.  Nothing like that on this run.  This was Wyoming and it was desolate quiet.  I did from time to time see the blinking light of a runner ahead of me so at least I knew I was going the right way.  I kept waiting for the light to sink into the ground because it meant that we had reached the downhill portion of the run.  (About 1.5 miles into the run)

  I ran this one smarter.  I started slower and then just kept chugging.  I kept telling myself that this would be my best leg and that I couldn’t let my teammates down.  The air was cooler but not cold.  It was about perfect for running in.  I had on a long sleeve tek shirt and shorts and it was enough.  Oh and I also carried water.  I learned from my first disaster leg.

  My times?  First mile was 8:59 (Going uphill), second was 8:45, third was 8:12 and fourth as 8:10.  Total mileage was 4.3 miles and I ran it in 36:52, an average of 8:28 per mile.  Much better.  I started at 9100 feet and gained 172 feet in elevation before dropping down to finish at 8774 feet.  Basically an uphill run then a long downhill.

  Better yet, I gained back the 2 minutes that I lost compared to the schedule from my first run.  So overall, I was even verses my predicted time.

  I did get about an hour nap while Elke was running (Runner 11) so that helped me a bit.  We traded with the other van in Walden and went looking for food.  We found a little cafe that had just opened for breakfast (It was just after 6:00 am) so we stopped in.  Even though my stomach was queasy (STILL!) I had some eggs, bacon & toast.  It felt pretty good to get some food down the hatch.

  Our van’s last legs started just before Rabbit Ears Pass.  So we drove to the next van exchange and parked for the next 3 hours.  Again, I couldn’t sleep so I read a bit.  Some others slept, but the sun was up and it was getting warm.  Not too comfortable to sleep in.

  Matt (First in our van) started running up the pass around 11:00.  He had a steep uphill climb to get to the top.  My run started at the top of the pass.  Well Matt surprised us all by getting ther 10  minutes early.  He just was a machine running up the hill and did a great job.

  So my last leg started at 11:51 am.  Luckily I was ready to go when Matt came in.  My stomach was settling down (Finally!) and I had my gear ready and a plan.  This was supposed to be my easiest leg according to the schedule but looking at it, I saw a number of inclines that I would have to tackle…at elevation.  I was a little concerned about that so my plan was to start slow to save energy for the hills.

  I did walk 3 times the whole leg but each time it was at the top of a hill and not while running up.  Something my cross country coach told me a long time ago.  “Never walk while running up a hill, only when going down because you don’t lose as much time.”  I tried to follow that and did ok. 

  There was a girl who passed me about half way and then we leapfrogged a bit because she kept stopping to stretch.  I finally came up to her when we approached the last hill and told her to just keep pace with me and we’ll tackle the hill together.  I think she appreciated it because she was then able to run the rest of the way without stopping and we finished the leg together.

  I finished feeling too strong.  I could have left more on the course.  The hills weren’t as bad as I thought they would be so saving energy for them wasn’t a good plan.  Oh well, I finished and didn’t do too bad.

  Leg distance was 3.8 miles.  I did the first mile in 9:43, second in 11:04 and third in 10:04 for an average of 10:10 for the leg.  I started at 9432 feet, gained 390 feet and lost 302 feet to finish at 9520 feet.  Basically rolling hills at high elevation.

  It was probably my second best run out of the three but I was dissappointed because I could have run it better.  I ended up losing about 4 minutes verses the schedule, but our team was still 18 minutes ahead. 

  I won’t go into much else because this is already too long.  Suffice it to say that I had a great time running with my friends.  We all enjoyed the race and probably would consider this relay again.  The timing in the year is much better for me due to school and vacations.  (The Outward Bound Relay is run in September)

  Overall, we finished 72nd out of 128 teams.  It took us 29:51 with an average pace of 9:14 per mile.  (The top team finished at 20:33 with a 6:21 pace!)

  We seem to be getting better each race.  Everyone on the team ran some strong legs.  I was impressed and honored to run with them again.

  If you haven’t run a relay before, give it a try.  It is a great experience.

Final tally for me:

• 11.3 miles
• 10 Pepto chewable tablets
• 2 Imodium AD pills
• 1 Tums
• 1 Breakfast Buritto that started it all (So to speak)
• Over $200 in new running clothes (See Vacation Log Day 2)
• 40 hours with one pair of contacts in
• No showers over that same 40 hours…
• One fun race with friends

  BTW - I purchased the below poster because it shows the course in great detail and it’s easier to explain to others what the race was like.  Again I did legs 8, 20 & 32 (Ended at exchange 8, 20 & 32)

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