When our fellow T9er asked if we wanted to spend the weekend running trails through all hours of the night, camping in a dusty field without shower access, and pushing ourselves harder than we thought possible, we didn’t think twice. Running an overnight trail race in the mountains? That’s our kind of girls’ weekend!
Getting it Done
Our sea level attitudes nearly got whooped by altitude. The plan for our weekend at Ragnar Trail Tahoe: run 16.2 miles each. When two teammates couldn’t make it, we embraced the detour (and the climbing) to make it happen. Yup, six women conquered an eight-person, 129.6 mile course in just over 24 hours at over 7,000 feet elevation.
Midnight with the Bears
Armed with only a headlamp at 3 a.m. on the trail, every mysterious noise MUST be a bear…or so KC thought. That’s why her fave race accessory was her bear bell. Conquering personal fears for the team’s greater good was huge. And, no, no bears were spotted.
It’s All About the Food
No wine and cheese on this trip. Our weekend was filled with gels, bananas, and carb drinks. And of course, pie. Yes, we were lucky enough to have our very own award-winning baker on our team. She transported a fresh-baked pie up the mountain just for us, and boy did it taste good after running all night.
Dirty Feet Are Happy Feet
The mark of a successful weekend of racing a trail Ragnar? Dirt anklets, at least three shades darker than your foot. Running with women who take pride in the layers of dirt and sweat accumulated during the race made it the perfect girls’ weekend.
129 miles total
26 hours of running
3 tents, 6 girls, 7 hours of sleep combined
0 injuries
Temp – hotter than the hinges of hell
Weight gain – 5 lbs of dust each
Training elevation 27 ft.
Event elevation – 7000 ft.
Elevation gain per loop – totally understated in the literature!
I wanna go! you up for making new friends? Man sounds great! Happy for y’all!!!!
We got ya beat! Our Team ran Ragnar Tetons as an Ultra team…of only 3 after 3 runners dropped.
Ha! Can’t even imagine. You totally win. Well done.
Maui with the girls. Running, hiking, paddling, snorkeling. Seafood at Mama’s Fish House, Pizza in Paia.
Perfect girls weekend. Horses. Margaritas. River kayaking. Dawn till way after dusk filled with stories and laughs.
That sounds awesome. Especially the laughs!