Ragnar Chicago – Ragnar Relay Series

Ran my first Ragnar from Madison, WI to Chicago, IL with 11 other friends. I have to say this was one of the more memorable athletic and mentally challenging experiences of my life. I definitely have a new bond with these guys that I did not have before. While the running isn’t easy per say, it’s the other stuff that gets so taxing — inability to get comfortable, navigating tight parking lots and Wisconsin back roads, not getting on each other’s nerves, and the periods of down time which occur when your van is «off the course.»
It’s logistically amazing how this happens, between all of the exchange points, the schools and neighborhoods that get involved, the coordination of volunteers, etc. I had a night run sometime around 2:30am through some trails in Wisconsin and it was just an awesome experience. While other team’s runners are out there, it is far from typical race style running in that you might not see too many other people while you are on course. Some camaraderie develops with other teams which is cool, but it is also pretty competitive. Pleased we finished our 200ish miles in 28 hours.
One big downfall comes to mind… major exchange #30 was absolutely disgusting. Perhaps that it was in North Chicago was a big part of it, but not nearly enough portable toilet facilities were available, it created long lines and the eventual closure of the toilet facilities. Portable restrooms seemed lacking in general. Kudos to Lake Forest, IL, which was the classiest exchange point of them all (no surprises there)…plenty of restrooms, excellent traffic control, and ample parking.
A lifetime of memories created by this event. Huge thanks to all volunteers.

I had a similar experience as a volunteer as Vava B. also in Wisconsin this morning. First of all, absolutely no communication before the race as to where to go and what to do. Found an old email with directions. The Volunteer Packet is an 11 page list of rules and responsibilities for Volunteers. In that packet it said we would be contacted a week or so before the race by an exchange manager. We were not… absolutely no communication.
We expected 8 – 10 volunteers as well. There were 5 of us. We were offered no breaks or water. Had to ask for water… at a Relay Race? Stood directing traffic for over
4 ½ hours. Then the Volunteer Manager stops in her car and says when we are finished to gather up the trash and tear down.
We are volunteers… not slaves. If they had communicated better perhaps they would have had more Volunteers to help out.
Got up at 5:30am, worked from 7am to 11:30am and did not get any sense of appreciation, but the worse thing was the lack of leadership as to what we were supposed to do.
Upon arrival there was no direction whatsoever. There was no one in charge of the volunteers at all! It was ridiculous… and it was the same for the other 4 volunteers.
Very poorly organized…

This review is based on my volunteer experience with Ragnar. As a avid runner, I like to support the running community and my running friends when I can. That being said I was asked to volunteer at an exchange in WI. A nearly 2hr drive one way for a 6hr volunteer shift. I was told that there would be 10 volunteers for our shift. When I arrived, there were only 4. This made taking any sort of break from a 10:30p-4:30a shift near impossible. Very little/​poor supplies were made available to make our jobs easier. Snacks for a 6hr shift were samples of cliff bars. I would never volunteer again for this event or even consider running it. I did the best I could with what I had today and then couldn’t wait to get out there. So think carefully before committing your precious time to this event.

What a wonderful experience! I had a fantastic time bonding with some lovely ladies on the road from Madison to Chicago. We spent almost a year working on the logistics, our team name and sponsors. It was a long road, process wise and race wise, but I’m glad I did it. Every runner/​jogger/​power walker should do this once.
The make your own granola bar was my favorite stop. Don’t miss it.
Stock up on mini Clif bars at the start, finish and exchange six.
Bring a blanket and neck pillow, along with baby wipes and changes of clothes packed in giant zipper top bags.
Anticipate not a lot of sleep and some lonely nighttime legs.
Prepare for every scenario, including rain, scorching heat and cold.
Sign up now and start preparing.

I had this race on my bucket list, and when I got a chance to join a team, I took it. I had a fantastic time, and I would absolutely run it again. That said, considering how much it costs, I was greatly disappointed by the race logistics and lack of course support, and if our team didn’t have Ragnar veterans who knew the area well, I think we could have really gotten lost or encountered problems.
For some reason, I expected the race to be much more organized and thorough than it was, as the website makes it seem as systematic as airline security. Not so much.
I should have realized that when I was looking at the course maps. I noticed it had an exchange planned in an area of a university campus that I knew to be completely under construction. I contacted them a couple weeks before the race to warn them that their exchange point no longer exists, and they had no idea about it and thanked me. While they did relocate the exchange and the course (which changed the mileage), they never notified runners, and just had a guy with a flag at the university. Thankfully, we ran into someone who knew where the new exchange was, so we figured it out.
Of course, that was nothing compared to the 10 minute warning Runner 7 had at our safety check when he had to run an extra few miles because of a fallen bridge. I guess it was mentioned on Twitter, but we didn’t know that was where official information was being communicated. Luckily, our Runner 7 is a champion.
Also, one exchange had us sleeping at a YMCA, but the obvious entrance was halfway blocked with furniture and had a sign that read, «not an entrance», but there was no other clear entrance, or signage as to where one could sleep. Runners were passed out all over the multi-​floor facility, and just as we settled on a basketball floor (no pads), a basketball coach shooed us out at 7am for basketball practice, and we were left wandering like refugees to figure out where we could go without being a bother. I did see a sign on a couple rooms, but just a little more forethought and signage could have made a big difference.
There was not a lot of food for sale at exchanges (a previous email suggested there would be real food at major exchanges, and there were pancakes at one last year), save for a complimentary trail mix station and coffee-​less coffee station, which is not exactly what you crave after eating trail mix for the last 24 hours in the car. There were tiny samples of nuun and clif bar a few times and at the end there were free cans of green tea and monster drinks, along with the beer and pizza.
Another problem was unclear parking directions, causing a game of giant van tetris at exchanges, or vans having to drive through the runner’s course, causing back ups and precarious situations. After running Ragnar, I think the most dangerous part is getting hit by another Ragnar van, not getting eaten by a bear or hit by a passing car.
Besides all of that, it was a great race. I loved the course (the Drumlin Glacial Trail at sunset was transcendent), the signage on each of my legs was very clear, the volunteers were pleasant, and there were plenty of porta potties.
What I wish I knew beforehand: There is a lot less accountability and tracking of what teams do than what you’d expect; do not assume that anyone will make sure you follow the correct directions or adhere to the rules. Expect at least a couple unannounced changes to the route and parking; be prepared with a garmin and iphones – do not trust the Ragnar Bible maps! You will encounter runners of greatly varying abilities, so don’t be intimidated either way. You might only see 5 or 6 runners your entire run. Bring enough food and water for the whole time, as there will be little time for that except after your van finishes running. Major exchanges will not necessarily have much food or water to refill bottles. Watch for a person reading your bib before you finish your leg and yell out your team number because they have difficulty reading it (and while we’re at it, they might not give you enough safety pins, so bring some).
But really, I’d do it again. It was really fun, and the runs themselves were awesome. Note to self: run at 3:30am more often.

It pains me to say this, but I have to knock a few stars off of this race. That is in no way a reflection of my team or any of the other teams on the course. It really comes down to one thing — organization or to put it more accurately, disorganization. I’m not sure how much of this year’s slide in organization is due to the change in race directors or to Ragnar the company, but the changes were noticeable to say the least.
I first started to see the cracks when they redesigned their website. I didn’t love the old website and had hoped for a revamp, but the new website had me wishing for the old, bare bones one. When it rolled out, the secure portal was flawed to say the least, I couldn’t manage my lineup for days and emailed Ragnar support with no response. I also had lots of problems finding where they stashed info on the public site that used to be so straight forward. For example, one might expect your team info and results to be on the link called (wait for it) Teams & Results, but alas it is not, it is under Updates.
Despite my website frustrations, I went into the race with an open mind and positive attitude. Early into the race, I felt like Ragnar basically bitch slapped those rose-​colored glasses off my face when a teammate said — «hey, Ragnar just tweeted that leg 7 is now 3.8 miles longer.» Yes, despite being at our first major checkpoint (6) for a few hours and attending a safety check, we were never told this info. Teams had to scramble as many of us, including my team, had runner 7 out in the midday heat thinking he was running 7.6 miles with one water station, not 11.4. I do not understand how this was not discovered sooner, not at all; there should be a final course run through a few days prior. To add insult to injury, instead of using the Ragnar text line to blast text us, it was only communicated via Twitter. If you plan on doing this, you should notify each team in advance that you will be communicating this way, so they can expect it. People were Tweeting like mad, so it was easy to miss this post and many of us had terrible signals and had to wait for Twitter to load and update to even see it. They took the same approach to reminding people when nighttime hours started; safety-​related messages should not be delivered solely via social media.
Some exchanges seemed ill-​planned this year, like one that had runners crossing the entrance to the van parking lot and backing up traffic on a relatively busy street. Some of these exchanges took over entire sidewalks and not all cyclists and pedestrians took kindly to that. When you have 400 teams and 3000+ people; you need adequate space for people to congregate.
I also got negative (unsolicited) organizational feedback from my volunteers. Ragnar’s volunteer policy is basically — supply 3 volunteers or pay $ 360 for them. If your volunteers don’t show up, you are disqualified from the race. Our volunteers all commented on how it was disorganized at best and they were unsure if our team got credit for them showing up because there were no team names listed on the volunteer roster.
I struggled with knocking the race down one or two stars. Ragnar Chicago is always a great time, but this year I was not in awe of their organization skills to say the least. Will I do this race again? Yes, and I hope these problems were a one-​time thing.
PS — No surprise here, but the directions are still horrid.

Ragnar, you sneaky little bastard…
You took me by surprise, and won me over with your ragged looks and smelly ways in just over 2 days.
So much so that I keep thinking about you, and consider flying all down there this winter for more.
Yup, that’s intense.
Yup, people are going to believe you are cuckoo up there.
Yup, being in a van with 5 – 6 other runners half of whom you have just met quite literally stinks.
But oh the fun you’ll have!
Before you start dismissing this review on the pretense that we don’t have the same definition of «fun», listen: I was highly skeptical as well. The first time I read about it, I felt this weird mix of emotions. Anticipation was not one of them. But after giving it some thought, I decided that it was worth a shot — if only for the running experience.
I am so glad I did.
Running a Ragnar Relay Race is like nothing else. Read the testimonies on the web: people are ecstatic about it. Yes, you have to run 3 legs of various lengths within a rough 24– to 36– hour period (depending on how fast you are), and yes, you have to stay in a van pretty much the whole time. No hot meal, no shower, no mani-​pedi, no room service. In a word, no comfort.
But the sense of camaraderie that develops in that van, and builds up more and more with every passing mile is unmatched. You live your team, you breathe your team and after a while, you love your team. And it gives you all the juice you need to keep pushing on your legs at 3 a.m. when you pound the pavement of a deserted road in Wisconsin, piercing the night with your little headlamp, trying to avoid the mosquitoes that fly in your eyes (idiots).
There is no other word: it’s exhilarating.
You will get lost, and pile up the u-​turns, screaming mindlessly at your phone: «What is wrong with fucking you?» (to which the appropriate response coming from right behind you is, of course: «As far as I am concerned, nothing at all»).
You will add your stench to the ones of dozens of male teenagers who sweat there before you while sleeping on the wrestling floor of a high school.
You will publicly acknowledge your lack of skills at peeing.
You will be spooked on the trail by a snake or a couple of rockets who call themselves runners and leave you (and dust) behind.
You will hear in dismay that boobs (bibs?) have to stay visible at all times.
You will pass some town folks chilling on their porch who will ask you, «Where are you running to?», and when you answer, «Chicago», you will smile at their incredulous «What the fuck?»
You will queue for the porter potties, drink water from the wells, eat pretzels, Twizzlers, cinnamon almonds and spinach pie and call it «breakfast».
You will cross the finish line with your teammates at Montrose Harbor, and experience the biggest high of your life.
And, just like me, you will sign up for more.

— Now I’ve had the Ragnar of my life.
— No, I never felt this sore before.
— Yes, I sweat. It’s the truth.
— And I owe it all to GU.
There is a meme by someecards floating around on the internet and it says: My life is just a bunch of «it seemed like a good idea at the time» strung together. I feel this is a pretty accurate description of some of the craziness I get myself into. I’m one of those people who wants to try everything (save for skydiving or petting spiders) and I impulsively jump at the chance for new experiences without really thinking about what that all entails. Ragnar would be a perfect example of one of those bucket list type items that sounded too good to pass up but that I dreaded as it came closer and closer to the actual relay race weekend.
Lori L. had participated in the race in 2011 and was talking about how much fun it is and how it really pushes you. I had been training a lot for 5Ks and obstacle courses last year, so I figured if I kept at it then I could easily partake of this adventure in 2012. I told her to count me in and started the planning. Unfortunately, I was having knee problems and starting to doubt whether or not I could really do this. The shortest legs are 13.1 miles when combined and there isn’t much time for rest. However, I really wanted to do this, so I just kept at it and went forward with the planning.
We had some bumps along the way with other people being injured and having to find volunteers so we wouldn’t have to pay more money, but we pretty much got everything sorted out in time and drove up to Madison the night before the race. I was scared shitless.
Race day came and time both dragged and flew. It was such a whirlwind of excitement, adrenaline and the hangries. Van 1 started at 6am and Van 2 (my van) met up with them around 11am. We checked-​in, got all of our goodies, relaxed before Van 2 took over, and then it was just a non-​stop «Friturday» of awesomeness.
I loved my team. I couldn’t have asked for a better team (50 Ways to Lose a Runner). A number of us were off of Unilocal (Lori L, Mary T, Rhoda G, Aurore L and driver Dalibor Z), but we also had 7 other people who knew runners in our group. More than half the people were strangers to me, but we soon became friends and we all got along. There was no fighting and everyone was so encouraging. The other teams were even friendly and helpful. I’d be plugging along at a snail’s pace and get passed up by someone who would say, «Good job!» or «You can do it!»
For the most part, Ragnar itself was run incredibly well. They made everything pretty easy, but I do have a few suggestions for next year. 1) They need better driving directions and maps. 2) Pay more attention to the shirt sizes. I didn’t get the correct size, so I guess trying to fit into it gives me more incentive to lose weight.
I would do Ragnar Relay again in a heartbeat. I’m even thinking of going out-​of-​state to compete in another run in their series either this year or next year.

Pardon me while I shake the cobwebs from my head, as I’m suffering from what is known as Ragnarbrain. What is Ragnarbrain you ask? It’s the mental capacity one has after running 3 legs on a 24 hr, overnight relay race from Madison to Chicago, with little to no sleep, and in a van with 5 other people.
This is my second year running the Ragnar Relay from Madison to Chicago. Last year, my friend convinced me to join her team while brunching over bottomless mimosas. This time, I didn’t need the booze to convince me to run.
This is by far, one of the craziest, most fun events I’ve had the pleasure of participating in. It’s a tale of a team of 12 people, 2 vans, and a lot of sweat. I mean, a ton of sweat. It starts off in Madison, WI, on a Friday morning and ends in Chicago sometime Saturday afternoon. Along the way, there will be bantering between teams, tagging of other vans, and hilarious moments scattered throughout the journey.
No event is perfect so I do have a one complaint. The van directions are horrible. I do not know where Ragnar got their map info from, but it should be revisited. Our van made more u-​turns than necessary and at times we prayed we would make it to the checkpoint on time for the next exchange. We pretty much stopped using the provided van routes, and plugged in the coordinates in our navigation device.
I’m already looking forward to my next relay. Florida Keys anyone?