Ragner Wasatch Back Relay: 2007 Race Report

Posted July 11, 2007 at 08:20 AM by Paul Peterson

Section: News, Adventure/Relay, Race Recaps

Once you’ve been bitten by the “relay bug”, it’s hard to keep away from team running events. My first overnight relay experience was the Wasatch Back Relay (Utah) in 2005, and I had a fantastic time. Since then, I’ve gone on to run the Wasatch Back two more times, and also the Wild West Relay (Colorado) and Relay Del Sol (Arizona).

The Wasatch Back is a particular favorite of mine; the fact that it starts in my “back yard” and traces its way through some of the most beautiful areas in Utah keeps me coming back again and again. For the 2007 race on June 22-23, I rounded up my MarathonGIS.com team again, fresh off of our 2nd place finish at Relay Del Sol this past March. Our goal for Wasatch Back: Top 3 and a finish time under 18 hours.

These goals would be no small task. Since its inception in 2004, the Wasatch Back Relay has grown from 22 teams (2004), to 89 teams (2005), to 178 teams (2006), to 316 teams (2007). Due to this rapid growth, the race is now the 3rd biggest overnight team relay in the U.S., only slightly smaller than the 350-team field of Reach the Beach. (Hood to Coast is the largest relay, with well over 1000 teams). Another result of this growth and large number of teams is that the competition gets deeper and faster every year! Our team would face many formidable foes.

The Wasatch Back course (Overview pictured below) presents its own challenges as well. With over 14,000 ft of cumulative elevation gain, and an average elevation of about 6000 ft above sea level, the terrain throws a serious monkey wrench into your stride and pace! Combine that with temperatures that can soar to over 90 degrees, the rigorous Wasatch Back route can slow even the most competitive runners to a crawl. The keystone leg of the course (Leg 34) is nicknamed ”Ragnar”, after a tough, fearless, 9th-century Norse king. The Ragnar leg climbs nearly 1700 ft in 4.0 miles, reaching a max elevation of 8900 ft. Sub-10:00/mile pace is considered blazing on Ragnar. Its preceding leg, nicknamed ”You got to be kidding me”, features an equally intimidating ascent of nearly 1500 ft in 3.6 miles. While most legs of the Wasatch Back are not this difficult, it gives you the idea that the race is no cakewalk!

Our team started at 5PM Friday evening, with several other teams: two college-based teams (BYU and Weber State) and two running store teams (Runners Corner and 26.2 Running Company). The other 300+ plus teams had started earlier at staggered times during the morning and afternoon. BYU, the two-time defending champions, had seeded themselves to run the 177-mile course at a blistering 5:24/mile pace. However, the other four teams, including ourselves, were seeded to run at 5:45/mile pace. Regardless of the actual performances, it looked to be a dogfight for the top spots.

Within the first hour of running, the race was proving to be quite an adventure.  By the start of the third leg, all five teams (including ourselves!) had taken at least one wrong turn. One team had taken two errant turns. The Weber State team was running strong and had made the least mistakes to build a lead of several minutes. However, the race settled down a bit from there. Weber continued to build their lead, and BYU eventually passed us during Leg 9 and started to gradually pull away. Meanwhile, we placed a sizeable gap on Runners Corner and 26.2 Running Company.

By Exchange 12 (1/3 of the way through the race), we were locked into third place. Over the next 13 hours and 120 miles, all the way to the finish, we remained in third place, with the gaps on both sides steadily increasing.

BYU was never able to cover the spread Weber State built early in the race. Weber went on to win the race with a 11-minute advantage over their rival. Their times were 17:40 and 17:51, respectively. Our MarathonGIS.com team finished a distant 3rd in 18:29, with 26.2 Running Company edging out the co-ed Runner’s Corner team with times of 19:18 and 19:25. The Roadrunners, a team with an earlier 4PM start, finished a close 6th with a time of 19:31.

We were pleased with our 3rd-place finish. Our 12-man team ran hard, had fun, and supported each other. Our pre-race estimate of 5:45/mile pace proved to be too ambitious for the altitude and terrain, but afterwards we all agreed that 6:16/mile pace was a nice accomplishment as well. In any case, we achieved as a team what none of us could not even begin to approach as individuals. And the memories taken from this race will certainly not involve nerdy statistics such as pace. My best memories of the 2007 Wasatch Back Relay will revolve around wrong turns, broken van doors held together by bungee cord (true story), and my teammates and friends.

This is indeed the most appealing part of these overnight relays: the team aspect. All teams, whether fast or slow, come together to support each other, enjoy each others’ company, and experience a 180-mile journey together. The beauty of the Wasatch Back Relay route is magnificent, and takes its participants through some of the less-traveled jewels of northern Utah. Journeys such as these are best shared with other people.