On August 14-15 I was part of the Great River Ragnar, one of several team running relay events around the country. This 203 mile 12 person event runs from Winona, through Wisconsin, along the Mississippi River, to Stillwater and ends at the University of MN campus.
I was part of the two Glacial Lakes Champion Running Series (GLCRS) teams. The Willmar area had 4 teams. GLCRS had 2 teams which were designated sub master mixed teams. This means we had at least 6 women (of the 12 runners) per team and all runners were at least 30 years old. In fact most of our runners were over 40 or 50. Of 19 sub master mixed teams, GLCRS teams 1 and 2 were first and second!!
Of all 421 teams (including all male teams, college runners, etc.) we ranked 12th and 13th. This region has some fast runners! For several years we have been very well represented. I was so blessed to be a part of this event 3 times (in 2013 I ran part of an Ultra team, 6 runners 203 miles, ouch). Steve Lueders was our fearless captain who made the whole thing possible this summer.
We run straight through the night starting at noon August 14, ending 27 hours later at the Univ. of MN. It is a surreal and exciting thing to be living in a small van for a full day with a few other runners.
This was one of the hottest events ever. Day temperatures were above 90 degrees. I loved the whole event and this event helped me launch back into the racing environment that I have put on hold for over 1 year. Now I’m back!
