The Great American Relay – 2020

Posted on October 21, 2020 by tootallfritz

As Covid-19 swept thru the world in 2020, our day to day lives changed drastically. Unless you live is Sweden, Covid has mostly likely touched your life in some way, shape, or form. In the US, kids were not going to school. Most parents were not working or attempting to work from home, while simultaneously managing their household, the kids’ virtual learning and trying to stay sane. There were no play dates, movies, concerts or sporting events. We just sat home and tried to avoid the virus. Whether you think it was real or fake, honestly, it doesn’t matter. Most just tried to do as advised and be a good example for our kids. We “masked up” for the tasks that were absolutely necessary, like grocery shopping. But otherwise, we stayed home, unless we were deemed an essential worker. To all of you “essential workers”, we thank you for all that you have done during the pandemic to keep Americans working from home, fed/clothed & healthy.

While some people were sitting at home and possibly feeling sorry for themselves ~~or drowning themselves in copious amounts of alcohol~~, others were trying to make the best of the situation. Running races and triathlons were canceled. 2020 might be remembered as the year of all things VIRTUAL. Races, fundraisers, concerts all went virtual. I’m not much of a “virtual” person. I don’t want to do an Ironman virtually but certainly understand that we are all motivated in different ways and respect all activity, virtual or live. That being said, I was very excited when I heard that the Great American Relay was not only going to be a LIVE, in person event but that it was also coming thru this part of the country, not too far from my front door.

The Great American Relay is a coast to coast relay thru the US. It started on September 15th in Boston, MA. Navigated the US, hitting many major cities including Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Chicago, Indianapolis, St Louis, Oklahoma City, Albuquerque, Phoenix, and LA. The relay finishes today, October 21st on the Santa Monica Pier in California.

There are 379 relay legs in the 2020 version of the GAR. Each leg was from 5-22 miles, with the average leg covering 10 miles. Each stage needed a lead runner to coordinate handoffs with the leg before and after, plus could have up to 10 additional support runners. For those who wanted to participate but not go to the actual plotted course, there were also unlimited virtual spots for each stage. The main goal of the relay was 1) to get from coast to coast, 2) unite runners in a time when many were feeling isolated and disconnected & 3) raise money for the American Association of Cancer Research. Its unclear if this was just a “pandemic” type event to unite runners who had little else to do, or if we can expect an annual event in the years to come.

The relay went thru 15 states. Indiana was one. I signed up for two stages in Indiana on September 25th. As a support runner on Stage 113 from Butler to Waterloo, IN (8 miles). And the lead runner on Stage 118 from Benton to Goshen IN (8.3 miles). Prep for 2 legs felt like I was prepping for Ragnar, except I got to come home between runs, shower, eat & use the Rapid Reboot compression boots! Gear & nutrition is ready.

Stage 113 was scheduled to take off at noon from Butler. I was with a great group of ladies and our predetermined route was down US 6, in the middle of a very warm day. We arrived early and were ready for our handoff! From left: Deanna, Bethany, Keri, Teri & myself.

We waited for our handoff, grabbed a photo with the speedy Logan from Stage 112 & we were off!

Route could not have been any easier. We ran one road, US 6, from Butler to Waterloo. Wide shoulder. Although there was a lot of traffic, we had plenty of space. It was hot but we took it slow and just covered the distance together. There are no aid stations. This is a point to point route. Self supported. One person, Vince Varallo, was the organizer and director of the event. He drove a vehicle from point to point across the country. Even filled in as a runner when a leg was not filled or a lead did not show. Huge commitment on his part. He also supplied water/gatorade and snacks as needed. Drove runners back to their cars in emergency situations. He was definitely a one man show when it came to taking care of the event and all the runners!

Stage 113 in route to Waterloo!

We eventually made it to Waterloo. And passed the baton on to Eric who was headed to Kendallville.

I went home for a short period but the relay was ahead of schedule. I was off to Benton, IN sooner than planned for Stage 118. I was staying connected with the runner after us but my communication with the runner from the stage before us was spotty at best. We arrived in Benton ahead of schedule. Parked and had a half mile walk to our start. We were walking to the start when we heard that the runner before us was a “no show”. I tried to get ahold of him, finally did after several attempts. He had his days flipped but thankfully was close to the course and ready to run. It was just a matter of waiting since he wasn’t in position when the relay got to him. So we waited. Plenty of time to talk with Vince. Then Todd & I were off, just before dusk.

Our route was also easy, along US 33 from Benton to Goshen IN. 8.3 miles. Not much shoulder on this section of 33, so we mostly ran single file. And it was dark. Protocol was to run against traffic, like normal when running on the road. So we were against traffic, their headlights blinding us and our lights probably scaring them. Not much we could do other than to stay the course. Lots of traffic. Some dead zones between small towns. Crossing some major roads. Sidewalk running thru Goshen and thru the central business district. Overall a great run. It was cooler which was nice. But I was happy to have company. I would have been uneasy running in the dark solo in an unfamiliar area. Huge shout out to Todd for driving so far to run 8 miles with me!! Thank YOU!!

8.3 miles clicked off pretty quickly in the dark. Then we were handing off to Donald!

The relay started at 6am each day and ended about 10pm. Great idea to avoid a major timing issues. Overall, a great experience. I was happy to be doing something, live and in person! Thanks to Todd for running the late leg with me. Thanks to Vince for creating/organizing/directing this relay.

Oh, and SWAG! Everyone who registered got a t-shirt and medal mailed to them.

Great event. I’ll be interested to see if it comes back next year. And if so, will the route be the same or different? Nice distraction for 2020. Fun. And the relay should be finishing today! Great job to all the runners, in person and virtual!!

**Happy Running ** Amanda – TooTallFritz

Ragnar Florida Keys….. The Good, The Bad & The Ugly….

Posted on January 7, 2013 by tootallfritz

2013 Ragnar – Florida Keys – Part I

This first Ragnar post is going to be a highlight of the good, the bad & the ugly aspects of our Ragnar adventure. As I always say, “respect the distance”. If you consider a particular race or event “easy”, then run harder. It’s totally up to you to make each and every outing your own and get out of it as much as possible. I also encourage you to respect your fellow runners and understand that something that may be easy for one, may be an epic adventure for another. Respect the distance. Respect your comrades in adventure. Respect the adventure itself and that is when you will walk away with the fullest experience.

2013 Ragnar – Florida Keys – Team 2 Bros & 10 Does – THE GOOD

Amazing team – I got so lucky. I only knew a few members of the team going in and I totally lucked out. All the members of the team were great. The team worked together to support one another. We took the “divide & conquer” approach and worked our way to the finish line, TOGETHER.
No pain. I am happy to say that although I’m a bit “sore”, I had zero foot pain during, or after, the event. The terrain was rough or slanted in many parts and I just carefully picked my way thru the bad spots, to avoid additional stress on my foot. It worked.
The maps, signs, directions were very accurate. We didn’t have any problems getting where we were going. This was a very point to point route. Super easy.
No Gator or Snake attacks. Although we saw a few gators staring at our crazy adventure as we picked our way along a canal in the Everglades, I’m pretty sure they were scared of us cuz we were so ~~bad ass~~ tough.
Glow Sticks. A team member brought us all Glow bracelets which we laced into our shoes. Awesome. Made my day.
Amazing sponsors! Our shirts and decals from Family Fan Club were awesome! Everyone loved the window decals. They were attractive, easy to use, stayed on and peeled back off with ease. Super cool! The shirts were light and airy in the nasty heat & humidity. The Aspaeris Pivot Shorts literally HELD US TOGETHER thru our legs. Everyone loved the compression for both running and recovery. I had a pair on non-stop for the last 30 hours of our adventure. And God Bless, ShowerPill. I can’t even possibly begin to say how much the ShowerPill athletic wipes saved us. I have never been so hot, sweaty, disgusting after a run and not had access to a shower. I used a ShowePill wipe after each leg (4x), and each time felt refreshed and clean. I would never have made it thru without these and the other team members LOVED them too.
We finished. All of our miles. No leapfrogging. We made to the finish, all by ourselves by helping each other.

2013 Ragnar – Florida Keys – Team 2 Bros & 10 Does – THE BAD

Little to NO sleep. The majority of the time we were either running, supporting a runner, or driving to the next exchange. When our van had some down time, while the other van was running, we had to leapfrog them to get to the major exchange where we would pick back up. The major exchanges would have a few vendors, food, indoor bathrooms and public showers. Some slept outside in the heat just to get a little rest. Those of us unwilling to sleep on the ground in the heat, walked around, or hung out in the vans. The van space was very limited so not much chance to stretch out. We slept for short intervals but nothing restful or mentionable. Pretty much as soon as anyone fell asleep someone would get into or out of the van or something would happen to awaken them.
Little to NO real food. With this being a long distance running event, we had to be very careful about food intake. I tried to just focus on foods that would keep me fueled and hydrated without overeating. So I mostly ate: bananas, Nutrigrain bars, pickles, peanut butter, almonds & pretzels. I did have a few protein bars, one chicken breast, a Skor candy bar & a glazed donut. Had to keep the sugar, carb and salt intake up to avoid a crash. I also used a Post Workout Recovery drink after each run leg, plus a Rehydrate Gel (or two) on each leg. I Sparked for energy and drank Rehydrate. It worked.
The darkness. Wow, does it get dark. It seemed like over half the event took place in the dark. I’m used to running in the dark but I also run the same roads or trails, in the same area, every time. I know the holes and rough areas of the road before I get to them. I have the roads memorized. Not the case for Ragnar. Headlamps and Knuckle Lights lit the way but the glow only went so far. We ran by feel as much as by sight, constantly pushing forward at whatever pace we could manage.

2013 Ragnar – Florida Keys – Team 2 Bros & 10 Does – THE UGLY

Runner 2 – Leg 1 – Accosted by a man and a women in a poor area of Miami. Scared the crap out of her. The women was tugging at our runner. Another runner came up from behind and helped get her away. Was it dangerous? Who knows but it was scary and it was the very beginning of our adventure.
Van 2 had a dead batter at the first major exchange, where they began running. We helped jump their car battery & then fire rescue came to help.
Runner 12 – Leg 1 – Spiral Fracture to the Tibia (shin bone). She went to the ER with 2 of our other runners to help her. One runner came back to finish the relay. Runner 12 was set up for surgery before the FL hospital realized they weren’t capable of handling it. The hospital then casted her entire leg from foot to upper thigh and sent her home for consult with an orthopedic surgeon. Let’s all send our well wishes and cheers for speedy recovery to Runner 12!! This situation left us with 10 runners.
Runner 1 – ME – Leg 2 – I was running a deserted trail between farm fields and someone shot a firework at me. There was no question that “someone” was aiming for me cuz it only missed me by about a foot and was in the area of my mid back. It did NOT come from the air. Being from Chicago, when there is trouble, you don’t look around and ask WTF, you put your head down and run faster. That’s exactly what I did. No time for questions, I just kept moving. I was all the way back to the exchange and someone noticed that I actually had black soot on my arm. Good times.
The heat & humidity. No one is responsible for the weather. You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit. It wasn’t pleasant. It made the adventures so much harder but we once again, put our head down and ran and tried not to complain ~~too much~~. We focused on hydration, made sure our teammates were hydrating & fueling and just moving toward the finish. Most of the time the runners on the side of the road running, looked very bad. There were lots of emergencies from heat related matters. Our van had a physician’s assistant and a nurse so we helped several people along the way. Two that they helped had to be taken by ambulance, one they got going again until he could make it back to his van. Crazy weather, leads to crazy, erratic running.

Over all, an amazing experience. I personally covered 21 miles at an average pace of 9:14 min/mile. That pace is NOT at all indicative of effort. Myself, in addition to every runner on the team, ran our hearts out. It was an all out battle of the heart to the finish. Each and every runner did what they had to do to move us close to the finish. We didn’t go fast, we just kept moving. Some had to pick up an extra leg to cover the runners we lost. No complaints. We just focused on the finish. An absolute adventure that I’m proud to have shared with my team.

** Happy Running ** Amanda – TooTallFritz

7 Days til Ragnar – 7 Things I’ll Be Packing

Posted on June 1, 2012 by tootallfritz

We are 7 days out from Ragnar Chicago and it was a rough day in TTF land, luckily I had the day off from actual “work”. The day started well when I went to the pool and swallowed a ton of TRI Smart Water. Wow, they swim fast ~~compared to me~~. Wow, they kick up a lot of water in the pool. Wow, they pull a good current when you are surrounded by 4 of them. ~~Wow, I suck at swimming.~~ Wow, I’ve never seen the pool so busy.

After the swim, I only had time to squeeze in a 27 mile ride on the trainer before hitting the chiro. Today she tried acupuncture since my body doesn’t respond like a “normal” person. Being special isn’t so great in a situation like this. I’m gonna post this “needles in the foot” pic again ~~for my mom~~ those of you who don’t have facebook or follow me on twitter.

After the needle fun at the chiro, I went directly to the foot surgeon for a more needle action in the form of a cortisone shot. He infused the cortisone with an anesthetic in order to numb the foot out for a week or so. Let’s cross our fingers! Ragnar here I come…..Dear Foot: Please comply!

In developing a list of 7 things I “need” that are possibly not going to be in every runner’s bag, I started with the important stuff:

Ice bag. I have a gel ice bag that I’m planning to beg my teammates to stuff in the cooler. I need it.
Motrin. I need it.
Merrill Encore Ice slip-on shoe. Although this is probably the ugliest shoe I have ever purchased, I’m glad to have it. I bought it off the clearance rack at REI and it holds my plantar fascia up and keeps my feet feeling “ok”. I need them. But they are ugly. I’m considering getting a sandal just like this too. 🙂
Toothbrush. I know we won’t be having a lot of time to shower but I’m hoping to be able to at least brush my teeth.
Tortilla-Peanut Butter- Dill Pickle wraps. I know this sounds disgusting but I actually like peanut butter and pickles together and I think this will work well for me food wise and I’ll be able to avoid the soggy bread issue.
Rehydrate Energy Gel – This is a new product which totally rocks. It is easy on my tummy and has an excellent lemon taste. I still can’t get over how awesome this stuff is and am looking forward to our long term relationship.
A freakin’ AWESOME attitude. I think this is probably the most important “item” on the list. We are going to be tired, cranky and the worst thing we can do is take it out on each other or somebody else. In order to have a good time, each person is responsible for bringing a good attitude. Ever heard the saying, “if you aren’t having fun, it’s your own fault”? So let’s bring it, rock this thing and have some fun!!