Ragnar Chicago was my second foray into the Ragnar Relay Series.  If you recall, I did the Florida Keys event in January 2013 and it was hot as hell.  FL Keys was a 12 person team.  Chicago was a 6 person team.  Through these two events, I’ve learned a couple things and I’d feel remiss if I didn’t share. 

1.  The most fun you’ll have at Ragnar is probably going to be decorating the van.

2.  The most exciting part is probably going to be the start line.

3.  The team you start with will most likely not be the same as the one that crosses the finish line.

4.  Make sure you have a solid team.  I would suggest the following teammates:

     a)  one runner who could probably run the entire distance herself, if necessary. 

     b)  a super experienced runner who has done the course before and knows where to find the smores.

     c) a rock of a person.  Solid as can be, one who won’t get agitated easily and if she does, she’ll manage to fake it stay calm until the panic passes.

     d)  a jokester, preferably one with ADD because apparently people with ADD don’t need to sleep.

     e) a captain, cuz they need to zap someone’s credit card when the flags get lost.

5)  Ragnar is a LONG event.  You will get tired.  It doesn’t matter if you are running 3 legs or 8 legs, exhaustion will set in and so will the bitchiness.

6)  Sleeping in a van is impossible, no matter how tired you may be or how well intentioned your teammates are about making you rest.

7)  Sometimes you will refuse to get out of the van, even if someone needs water, even if there are free smores, even if there are naked men flaunting themselves, even if …..

8)  No matter how many miles you run, no matter how many times you say  you will “never run again”, no matter how tired you get …. all those negative memories fade when you cross the finish and have that free beer in your hand.

** Ragnar – Part I – What I learned ** Amanda – TooTallFritz **