How Could I Forget?

I don't know if it was the phrase itself, or just that the lack of sleep and delirium had set in, but "My Beard is My Guide" was just about the funniest thing we saw painted on a vehicle! I still have the tune in my head thanks to Corinne...My beard is my guide. It is my joy and my song. By day and by night. It leads, it leads me along. :)

And this other photo pretty much sums up my view for most of the relay. Though this was taken behind the tailgate, I usually sat in "the box" which was my designated spot in the back seat with gear. Good times.

Fun in Van One

Long before any of us hit the pavement for our first legs of Ragnar, our valiant captain Brian has referred to the vehicles as "Van 1 and Van 2." They were NOT vans. They were Ford Expeditions. But I can't stop calling them vans. And Van 1 was awesome.


From our rushed early-morning beginning in Logan when they hurried us through and we missed most of the safety schpeal, to the beauty of the northern Utah wilderness along the way, and on to memories of eating pancakes at midnight in a rural high school and sleeping on the gym floor with hundreds of strangers, the whole experience was worthwhile and completely unforgettable.



My only regret is that we didn't rent a bus so we could have gotten to know the whole team better. Also I am still feeling bad that you in Van 2 ran in extreme temperatures, ran at night and had no cargo box. (Let me tell you, it was very handy.) Oh yeah, and I'm feeling a bit guilty for being runner number 4....I totally scored the easiest legs. Sorry Jerry! My heart went out to you when I saw that gigantic hill late at night!



My favorite moment....rounding the mountain south of Jordanelle Reservoir to be surprised by 4 colorful hot-air balloons alligned diagonally in the morning sky. Breathtaking! My least favorite moment followed that directly - needing a Honey Bucket like nobody's business DOWNHILL dropping 800 feet in elevation the entire rest of my 3.8 mile run. I was never more grateful to see the steep incline up to Exchange 28. I flew up that hill.


Here are a few pics I was able to capture with my cheapo point and shoot. Not all gorgeous shots, but fun memories nonetheless.

Van 1 in all its glory, The Safety Patrol, The Orange Ragnar Van, and Kirk

Honey Bucket Hotties...

Lucille was an absolute hero to run in the dust her first leg.

Thanks to Shanti's painting skills, our "I Need Pants" window was photographed frequently by fellow teams and caused much laughter along the way.

Lucille, Ang, Corinne, Kirk & Brian at Jordanelle.....Gene was running. Slacker.

Hey there, Corinne!

Pretty trees - Leg 3.

Brian was so ready to give that slapband to Corinne.

Hyrum Reservoir - Beautiful!

Howdy, Gene! (He's an incredible runner, by the way!)

Funny things others did or said

We were driving up to Ogden Canyon and we pulled up next to this truck at a red light. Obviously they were going to run Ragnar too. We were chatting back and forth and all of the sudden this guy in the front says "We have a mega phone!" He said it as if he was 5 and bragging to some friends. We busted up laughing trying to think of a come back, the only lame thing we could've said was "we have a cow bell".
Sarah Parke(Before van 2 started running)


During the race Brian was driving (van 2) through an intersection and the cop was waving us to turn left. Brian asked if we could go straight to follow our runner. The cop laughed and said we could (he said something else but I don't remember what, someone add it here). We all busted up laughing when we realized that Brian had the blinker on to turn left, so no wonder the cop thought we were going to turn. Sarah Parke

Favorite Moment

Sarah Parke (Leg 8) My favorite moment was during my last 6.1 mile run. I had been running for 1/2 a mile, the scenery in Midway was amazing. Then it hit me, I feel great, I'm running faster than expected, and this is my last run. All of it together made me start to tear up...the moment ended a second later when I realized I was being silly for crying while I was running.

Before Ragnar....After Ragnar

Sarah Parke (Leg 9) "Before Ragnar I was worried about getting car sick after Ragnar I am worried that I have to wait another year to run again."