Talk about an experience! Talk about being outside your comfort zone! Talk about digging deep and getting through the grind! Talk about a feeling of accomplishment when you cross the final leg!
Running the Ragnar Trail has been on my bucket list for several years and it is still surreal to know that I was able to accomplish this running goal thanks to Team Azalea Trail Maids. I am thankful for friends who had experience with Ragnar Atlanta Trail and were more than happy to help guide my millions of questions. I knew Ragnar Atlanta Trail would be a true test of grit on my part. And I am not going to lie, there were moments when I wanted to quit but I had a team waiting on me and I didn’t want to let them down.
The Setup...
Job well done Ragnar Atlanta Trail! From the Port-a-potties (which were well kept, restocked, & plenty of), to the tent city, it was so well organized. Our teammate Haley and her husband Jonathan had such a cool setup to cook and eat, it was top-notch! They picked a prime spot that was perfect for us to hang out and sleep when we could.
The Food...
While there were food trucks there, our campsite came fully furnished with the BEST team! Haley shopped and meal prepped for us, and Jonathan cooked some of the best camp food I have ever had! I mean it was soooooo good! Haley and Jonathan are avid campers and they have it down to a science.
They did an outstanding job on it all! They timed out the meals perfectly! They made our Ragnar experience one to remember, hands down! I highly encourage that you get you a Haley and a Jonathan on your team (just not ours. Haha!).
While there were food trucks there, our campsite came fully furnished with the BEST team! Haley shopped and meal prepped for us, and Jonathan cooked some of the best camp food I have ever had! I mean it was soooooo good! Haley and Jonathan are avid campers and they have it down to a science.
They did an outstanding job on it all! They timed out the meals perfectly! They made our Ragnar experience one to remember, hands down! I highly encourage that you get you a Haley and a Jonathan on your team (just not ours. Haha!).
The Extra Stuff...
Again, Ragnar Atlanta Trail did a fantastic job with not only our swag bags which contained LMNT samples, protein bars, and more but early mornings there was coffee and hot chocolate. I was a fan of mixing both which made for a delish morning routine. There was plenty of water to refill our water bottles. Ragnar is cupless which is really cool! Every time we turned around there were different drinks for us to try as well. From coffee and hydration drinks to kabocha, we got to try it all. That was a surprise and very much appreciated.
The Loops...
Ok, so this was officially my first-ever trail race. So yay, a PR! There are three different loops: green, yellow, and red, also known in our camp as yellow one and yellow two. The green loop, while it was the shortest route, was still very challenging. The yellow and red loops were similar in length and elevation. The yellow loop was the most technical with plenty of twists, roots, and rocks, I was thankful for the trees that I could hold on to when I lost my footing. The red loop was a mixture of moon rock and the “Sound of Music” valley.
The covered bridge was my absolute favorite thing to run through in the open field. While I am already not the fastest runner and I wasn’t super proud of my times, I was happy that I finished each loop.
Ok, so this was officially my first-ever trail race. So yay, a PR! There are three different loops: green, yellow, and red, also known in our camp as yellow one and yellow two. The green loop, while it was the shortest route, was still very challenging. The yellow and red loops were similar in length and elevation. The yellow loop was the most technical with plenty of twists, roots, and rocks, I was thankful for the trees that I could hold on to when I lost my footing. The red loop was a mixture of moon rock and the “Sound of Music” valley.
The covered bridge was my absolute favorite thing to run through in the open field. While I am already not the fastest runner and I wasn’t super proud of my times, I was happy that I finished each loop.
The Transition Area...
So, another great thing about Ragnar Trail is that you have this very cool transition area where you get to cheer on your teammate that is coming in and cheer on your teammate that is leaving. As a team you are given a race belt with your number and each time you come into transition, you give that race belt to the next team member that is leaving out on their loop. You also have three cool color-coded slap bracelets, yep, they are true slap bracelets! You wear the color bracelet depending on which loop you are about to run: green, yellow, or red. Then when you come in, the next team member to run that loop will get the bracelet. During the day this area was buzzing with excitement and cheers while late at night and early morning hours it was a little quieter.
Running At Night...
This is where you find your grit. While we had headlamps and lighted vests it was still an eerie experience running at night. I’ve only run once at night on the trails here in Mobile. The trails here in Mobile are not like the trails at Ragnar Atlanta, so let’s just add that fun fact too. The light from the headlamp and vest would reflect on the trail different images meaning that it would be harder to determine what something was in front of you, if it was a root or not.
This is where you find your grit. While we had headlamps and lighted vests it was still an eerie experience running at night. I’ve only run once at night on the trails here in Mobile. The trails here in Mobile are not like the trails at Ragnar Atlanta, so let’s just add that fun fact too. The light from the headlamp and vest would reflect on the trail different images meaning that it would be harder to determine what something was in front of you, if it was a root or not.
The Red Loop...
The loop took my mental headspace to a different level. I remember I couldn’t stop crying when I got closer to the transition area. We all know that running is a more mental sport, we get in our own heads.
I had my moment when I was on the red loop when self-doubt made its way in. I was in the headspace of how I wasn’t a runner, I am not supposed to be here, what made me think I could do this?
This was harder for me because I am a community runner, meaning I run with friends, I enjoy crossing the finish line with friends and here I was out here alone until someone passed me and then I was reminded how much I was letting my team down. The tears really started when I saw one of my teammates, Khan, about half a mile from the transition area and she ran me in, and she ran me in with the most encouraging words. And then some of my teammates were there waiting for me and all I could do was embrace them.
With tears and hugs, a moment of accomplishment took over.
The Injuries...
You are on trails, like legit no turning back, rocks and roots everywhere kind of trails.
We had heard all weekend how other teams were getting injured. I had plenty of almost ‘ate-it’ moments out there, it was intense. On one of our teammates’ final loop, she had a bad fall not too far after she got onto the trail. But our teammate powered through, and we had no idea how banged up she really was until we saw her coming into the transition area.
The fact that our teammate kept going in spite of her fall, she was clearly the most determined out of us all!
The Final Finish Line...
It is highly encouraged that as your last runner comes in you meet them at the end of the transition area and you run in together. That is a really cool feeling, it is a pretty special moment!
You know the loops were hard for everyone, you know that you and your teammates had to run at least one loop at night, and you were tired. You are proud of your team and in that moment, you treasure it.
The Medal...
Job well done Ragnar! Job well done! You will just have to experience receiving your own hardware from Ragnar to truly understand!
Job well done Ragnar! Job well done! You will just have to experience receiving your own hardware from Ragnar to truly understand!
Atlanta Ragnar Trail...
You will learn what you are made of out there and it is totally worth it!
If you have ever been on the fence about joining a Ragnar Trail Team, just sign up. Go outside your comfort zone, get out of your head, and go for the experience.
Have no expectations but just to be on the trail and finish one mile at a time, one loop at a time. Ragnar does a fantastic job of making sure that your team will finish in time. They are super flexible and understanding. So just focus on the Ragnar experience because that is what it is, a Team Trail experience!
Thank You Atlanta Ragnar Trail for an incredible experience and I cannot wait to go back!
