Baby Got Back

The Wasatch Back Relay has come and gone, and I can't say if I'd want to try it again next year. I definitely learned a lot about both my running ability and about the event itself.

I was runner 12, riding in our second van. We met up a bit after 11 AM on Friday, and our first runner took over from Van 1 at 2 PM (Our team started at 7:30 AM). It was fun following the runners and enjoying the scenery. My first turn finally came at about 4:20 that afternoon. I had signed up to run the approach to Snow Basin ski resort.


Needless to say, the hill was steep (see the map above). I really hadn't counted on how much slower I'd have to run given the incline and the elevation. The 3.1 mile run, a distance I've covered before in under 25 minutes on flat ground, took me about 38 minutes. It was the hardest run I've ever attempted, but was fortunately short enough so that I was able to finish.

After handing off to runner #1, my van had a long break. We ate dinner at Snow Basin Lodge. I had an excellent cobb salad - after running I welcomed the generous amounts of bleu cheese & bleu cheese dressing. When our van took over again, it was after dark. Our night-time gear included flashlights/headlamps, reflective vests, and flashing LEDs on our backs. I tried to catch some sleep in the back of the van. My next leg came at about 3:40 AM. It was just over 5.2 miles long, with a gradual incline, as shown below. This one took me about 50 minutes, and the cool night air felt very good.

After leg 2, our van had off time so we headed to out next exchange point to get some sleep. This was incredibly difficult as we all tried to sleep in the van. I didn't even think to bring a pillow. Many teams had ground pads and sleeping bags, and if I ever run this again, I'm going to bring the same. Lack of sleep made the race less fun that it could have been.

We finally took over again at around 8:30 AM. Things were going pretty well for us until our fourth leg, when a light drizzle turned into a full-blown downpour. At 8800 feet. It was windy, cold, and downright miserable for a while. I felt bad for the runner before me, but the rain did slow a bit. By the time I took over it was steady, but not very heavy. My last leg actually went pretty well. As I neared the finish, I met up with my team and we jogged in the last few hundred yards together.

The running was no more or less fun than any other races I've been in. It was fun to drive and watch the other runners while drinking in great scenery. The lack of sleep was at times nearly intolerable. All in all, I had a positive experience - but I'm not sure that I'd ever want to do it again.