Monday, June 11, 2012

Ragnar Relay Volunteer Recap

On Sunday I volunteered at a race for the first time ever. While all my friends were getting ready for the 13.1, I was setting up tents and unloading a semi trailer at Montrose Beach, setting up the finish line of the Ragnar Relay. I was a volunteer for Team Chicked which included my friend Kate S, running blogger Jess, and a few other folks you can learn more about on Jess' page.

We received a thick packet several weeks before the big day and I read through the materials to make sure I knew what was up. Volunteers were supposed to arrive 15 minutes early to be trained before their shift actually started. I arrived 30 minutes early (over anticipated traffic at 4:00am) and called the head volunteer coordinator. She curtly explained that I was early and the shifts didn't start until 5am. They were on their way and I had to wait. Maybe it was because she didn't have her coffee yet, but I thought that was kind of a rude way to respond, especially starting things off. While I was waiting, I walked around and took a few photos, watching the sun rise over Montrose Harbor.



The coordinators arrived and we all checked in and started unloading the semi truck. All of the other volunteers were friendly and most of them were runners which made for a some common ground. After we had unloaded the truck, we stood around for about 20-30 minutes while the coordinators talked amongst themselves to figure out the layout of the finish line party. Maybe it is just me, but if I didn't know how things were going to be laid out, I probably would have tried to get there early to figure it out so we have the volunteers working the whole time. After the layout was decided we put up tents and things started the shape up. I really enjoyed seeing the inflatable finish line go up.

Once everything was up, we were assigned posts. Luckily I was assigned the medals post. We took the medals out of the boxes and their wrapping, and put them on display. If you were part of an ultra team (only 6 people instead of the traditional 12), you got a special medal with an orange lanyard.

It was a scorcher and all of us volunteers were warm, breaking a sweat in the shade. I could only imagine what the runners were going through. My shift was up at 11 but I planned to stick around and meet up with Kate LF for lunch before her shift started at 4. The first teams started to cross the finish line and I started to get excited for the hours to come. We are at the first booth, passing out what everyone wants (other than water of course)... Medals! I was getting FB and text updates from Kate S saying simply that everyone was sick of the heat and just wanted to be done. I continued to pass out medals as Kate's proposed finish time kept getting closer. But their proposed finish time came and went when I received a text that they were way behind schedule due to driving to the wrong exchange (the directions provided by Ragnar were not very clear and they drove themselves versus having a driver), people off from their pace goals, and just a crappy day. I got another update not too much later that one of the team members had to go to the hospital due to dehydration. I felt bad for Kate and told my husband I'd be home later than expected. When I knew they were getting close, I started to walk along the course to try and meet Kate since she was running the last leg. Walking along I was a bit confused because the markings were quite poor. I ended up standing in the same spot for about a 1/2 hour helping tell anyone with a Ragnar bib where to go as many shouted to me "Do you know where we go from here?" After awhile, I moved down the course a little more, looking for Kate until I was about 1 mile out (according to the GPS on my phone). After a little more waiting (and more cheering), Kate called to say they were approaching the finish line, but due to Ragnar changes because of the heat, she wasn't going to be on the trail. (Apparently all ultra teams were encouraged to "double up" runners so that they would run the same amount of legs, but there were 2 runners together at a time because of the conditions. They didn't want anyone running alone.)

I started running back towards the finish line when I heard a runner ask "Do you know the way to the Ragnar finish line?" I told her to follow me as I was heading that way. She seemed grateful as it she was struggling a bit. The last leg is 8 miles and it was over 90 degrees at this point. I led the way and helped clear a path through the pedestrians. Several times the runner said "Thank you so much," and all I could say was "No problem." Us runners have to stick together. She found her team at the finish line as I walked back to the medals tent.

After a little more waiting, I saw the yellow shirts of Team Chicked as they were heading down the finish line. I ran out there to greet them with their ultra medals and congratulate all of them on a job well done. I think they were all happy to just enjoy their post race beer and relax while not in a van. We snapped some photos and then headed home. By this time I had been in the sun for 14 hours and I was ready to head home.
With Kate LF (left) and Kate S (middle) at the finish line


I gave Kate S a ride home and heard some more details on the race logistics. Apparently the end wasn't the only part where the course was poorly marked. They appeared to be a problem throughout the entire Ragnar route (not to mention, some kids messing around with the signs leading runners in the wrong direction). Forks in trails were left as a guessing game (with no van to help guide the way), courses through neighborhoods that didn't appear to be very safe, and country roads with 0 shade all made for an interesting 2 days. I'm sure Jess will have a full recap on her blog within the next few days.

In the end, I feel like this is a fun race with a lot of potential to be a great one. However, I think there are many kinks that need to be worked out. With such a gigantic course and the huge number of people running this race, there are bound to be some/many kinks. Hopefully things will get better as time goes on and Ragnar hears more feedback from runners. Who knows, maybe next year I'll be part of a 12 person team. At least, that is the plan! :)

14 comments:

  1. THANK YOU so much for volunteering for our team!! And giving up your whole day! This race was so horrible and awesome in the same sentence... how on earth will I write a recap? LOL It was nice to finally meet you in person and THANKS again for all your help and support with Team Chicked. xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm glad I'm not the only one who has had a volunteering experience that isn't quite as expected.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I totally thought of you when some of the folks were jerky with us while running the medal stand. We had to give the medals to the captains because there were so many people and teams. That is what made the most sense as some captains had two teams and not every team had the same number of people. When we asked for the captains and team members would roll their eyes or mutter "Really?" before waving someone over... Once I explained that we "Just want to be sure we don't' double distribute", you could tell some folks felt bad for giving me attitude. And all of the captains I talked with were really nice. It was interesting for sure! I did enjoy it though and many of the runners thanked us which was pretty cool.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks Jess! I had a lot of fun and felt bad for all of the runners out there in the heat. I'm glad you guys finished despite all the obstacles. It was nice to meet you too and congrats again on an amazing accomplishment!

    ReplyDelete
  5. That was so nice of you to volunteer and wait all day for your friends! Often when I volunteer I feel like there is a lot of waiting around and people don't know what to do with me. It sucks you had to wait so long and in the sun toward the end!

    I talked to my running club friends who did this and they were telling me about the course issues and that the last leg was canceled (and that they came in so late because of the heat). I REALLY think Ragnar should have an interactive map that can be used on a smart phone so you know where the heck you are! When I did Ragnar last year I had a long leg that didn't have many runners and I kept worrying I was off course. Part of the run, I suppose.

    ReplyDelete
  6. You are seriously the nicest runner ever. If we have blogger awards (which we should) You are a shoe-in for "Miss Congeniality" It's too bad they had so many confusing points! Especially for a team event, it has to be frustrating when runners are getting lost/going the wrong directions.

    ReplyDelete
  7. When I realized that they were behind schedule and struggling, I knew it made sense to stay and see them through the finish. Plus, I got to hang out with my other friend Kate LF in the mean time.

    That is such a good idea about an interactive map. They also said that the way the sheet was printed was confusing. The directions didn't match the map, and the runners were all driving themselves so if you add in the sleep deprivation and heat delirium, it made for a wicked mess. I'm glad they finished with everyone in one piece (even though a teammate had to limp to the car and another teammate ended up at the hospital with an IV). I do think that we want to try to get a team together for next year, but a full 12 person team! I forgot you did a Ragnar! I'll have to look up your race recap! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks Sara! I had a lot of fun out there volunteering. This is something I'll definitely do again, and probably even do more of while I'm pregnant at some point in the future and won't be running as many races. I think by the end everyone was crabby and frustrated. It will be interesting how things shape up after everyone has had a good night's sleep.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow! That sounds rough for the runners. I did Ragnar last year and thought the course was really well marked for all of my legs. The only time we got lost was because we misread what exchange were were supposed to be going to and it was 3:30 AM.

    You are a great friend and runner for giving up your day to volunteer!

    ReplyDelete
  10. That's nice that the course was well marked! I had several folks come up to me at the end and tell me that more volunteers needed to be out there because runners were ending up in Old Town and having to turn around instead of stopping at Montrose Beach. I think the heat added to everyone's confusion as well.

    I know you've volunteered at a lot of races and I plan on doing this more in the future. It definitely was a fun day!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Interesting that an event that is so hyped isn't run so smoothly. HMMM. My co-worker who is in TTF said the River to River Relay is really well done - his team has done it a few times: http://rrr.olm.net/ Plus it is not overnight (although it's downstate, so would require a hotel stay the night before and after). Just a thought!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Ooh, this sounds fun. It would also be easier to get 8 people to commit as opposed to 12. This is definitely something to think about. Thanks for the suggestion Maggie!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I've heard the same thing about that relay. The blogger Micapie has done it the last two years and liked that there were no overnight parts :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Nice, good to know. I'm completely interested and want to complete one of these relay races now! :)

    ReplyDelete