Wasatch Back

The last few weeks have been very busy, but we aren't slowing down much anytime soon.

This Friday and Saturday I'll be participating in one of the longest footraces held in the United States - the Wasatch Back relay. Teams of 12 runners will traverse the Wasatch Mountains (part of the Rockies) from Logan to Park City, UT. The distance is approximately 180 miles.

Each of the 12 runners runs three legs, for an average of 15 miles per runner. The teams travel in 2 vans, each carrying 6 runners.

This makes for a lot of down time, since you must wait for 11 runners to cover lots of ground between each of your own segments. Still, it presents a unique challenge with some difficult terrain and breathtaking scenery.

By far the most difficult part is the ascent into Park City over Guardsman's Pass. Runners 9 and 10 must together climb about 3000 feet in 7.6 miles. This part is just two legs from the finish.

What challenges most participants is the fact that the race takes an "average" team almost 30 hours to finish with little opportunity for quality sleep between legs. It's supposed to be very fun, and I'm looking forward to the challenge.