Last Thursday I made my way to Grand Rapids to run with my team Password Penguin in the 2017 Ragnar Michigan. It was good to meet up with some of my old friends who have run several of these races with me and the new runners joining us on this adventure. The weather was perfect when we arrived and after getting the vans, we headed into downtown Grand Rapids to our hotel. We had planned to explore the city and then have a nice dinner before getting to bed for some rest.
We did make it to the Ford Presidential Library which normally would be closed that late in the day. But it was open because they were displaying some of the artwork from the ArtPrize event. We spent about an hour walking through the museum and then headed back to meet the rest of the team for dinner. We looked at the art along the way. It was a unexpected pleasant surprise and a nice way to start our adventure in Western Michigan.
After dinner, we all got to our rooms to get some sleep as we knew there would not be much sleep once the race started. We agreed to be up and out at 7:00 a.m. the next morning. We had about a 50 minute drive from downtown Grand Rapids to the starting line at Pere Marquette Park. I got to my room and set my alarm for 6:00 a.m. so I would have plenty of time to get up and ready.
My alarm did not go off. I woke up with about 20 minutes to get ready to meet the team. I rushed to get ready. I made it down right at 7:00 a.m. The rest of the team was already downstairs and one of the vans had been pulled in front of the hotel. I got our van and pulled it around to the front of the hotel. We loaded all of our gear into the van and then headed out to Muskegon. I was feeling a little stressed but excited about the race.
We got to Pere Marquette Park a few minutes after 8:00 a.m. Since we were Van 1, we had to check in and go through the safety briefing. Once we had done all of that we finally had some time to take in the sites. The starting line is right next to a vast stretch of sandy beach right on Lake Michigan. The temperature was perfect although a little windy. Lake Michigan was an amazing site. One of my teammates even remarked that it was hard not to believe it was the ocean. We got together for a team photo and then it was time for our first runner to get head to the starting line.
Our wave of the race started right on time at 9:00 a.m. After cheering on Carrie as she headed out for her 3.5 mile first leg, we loaded up into the van and headed to the exchange. I would be the next runner. I wanted to have some time to stretch and warm up before Carrie came into the exchange. The exchange was at the McGraft Memorial Congregational Church. Carrie was supposed to be there by 9:30. She came in right on time and handed off to me at 9:31 a.m.
I took the handoff and headed across Lakeshore Drive to get onto the Lakeshore Trail. It was 63
The last mile was through a very nice neighborhood in Muskegon. I was feeling really strong. The exchange was at the Laketon Bethel Reformed Church. When I made my final turn to head to the church I knew I was going to beat my goal time. Just as I reached the crosswalk to get to the church the light turned red and I had to wait to cross. I handed off to Randy and he took off for his first leg. I had covered the 8.1 miles in 1:09:12 and very good 8:34 per mile pace. My hard training had paid off and the weather was perfect. I loved the course and the challenge of a long run for my first leg.
When Brook finished her first leg, we headed into Whitehall, MI to grab dinner. We got to see the World's Largest Weathervane which was built by Whitehall employees in their factory in Montague. It is a fully functioning weathervane 48 feet tall with an arrow 26 feet long. Pretty cool! I was really hungry because I didn't have any time to eat anything before we had headed over Muskegon. We went to Pub 111. Pub 111 is a cool little local bar & grill. Some of us (not me) had a beer to celebrate finishing our first leg. The food was really good and it was a great atmosphere. After eating, we headed over to the next big exchange in Mears, MI.
The exchange was actually at a little local ice cream joint. There was really nowhere to lay down and get in a catnap. I decided to lay down in the back of the van to try and get some rest before Van 2 would arrive at the exchange. I did get a little bit of shut eye before we heard from Van 2 that they were on their way. I got out of the van to welcome them in and to see Carrie off on her 2nd leg. She only had to run 5.9 miles which meant I wouldn't have a lot of time to get ready for my next leg.
Carrie took off and we jumped back in the van to head over to my exchange at the First Baptist Church in Hart, MI. Carrie arrived and I headed out at 6:56 p.m. It was 57 degrees which was perfect for a long run. I was feeling a little stiff for the first couple of miles. I finally found a good pace I felt I could hold for the entire 7.9 miles. It was a really beautiful route and I was running as the sun was setting making it even more unique. The route took me through the Pentwater Game Reserve at dusk. I was really loving the scenery as I ran.With about 3 miles to go, I turned onto US 31 Business which runs along Pentwater Lake. The sun was in the final minutes of setting and it was so peaceful. I ran past the docks on the lake in downtown Pentwater. I dug deep and pushed myself to finish strong. The exchange was at Mears State Park right on the shore of Lake Michigan. I handed off to Randy and then took a few minutes to appreciate the beauty of nightfall on Lake Michigan. I had covered the 7.9 miles in 1:09:15 almost the same as my first run. It was an 8:50 per mile pace which still beat my goal time.
The good news was that when Brook finished her 2nd leg, we would have a lot of time before having to get up and run our final legs. The overnight run for Van 2 was going to cover over 40 miles. This would be the first time we would have a chance to get in 4-5 hours of sleep. So we headed over to the next major exchange at the Manistee County Fairgrounds.
When we got there we were disappointed. We thought the fairgrounds might have a lot of grassy areas where we could stretch out and sleep. I had brought my sleeping bag in hopes of doing just that. The area was basically a dirt race track and due to the rain they had had that day it was pretty muddy. We all ended up sleeping in the van. I was able to get more sleep than usual before we got the word that Van 2 was on their way.When we got out of the van we were surprised at how cold it had become since we arrived. It was 34 degrees. Carrie headed out in the dark. We got into the van and headed off to my final exchange area in Pierpoint, MI. The exchange was at a local farm which was really unique. As I waited for Carrie to arrive we watched the sun start to rise. It was still dark when I took the handoff at 6:51 a.m. and headed out for my final leg. I felt fortunate to have brought my cold weather gear I used when I was running in Boston during the winter because it was really cold for this Arizonan.
Maybe because of the cold or the excitement of being on my last leg, I took off at a sub-8:30 per mile pace. There was one hill that slowed me down a bit. But the sun was just coming up over the farms on each side of the road. It was absolutely beautiful. When I reached the downhill that would take me to the final turn to head over to Arcadia Sunset Station, I really pushed the pace. I handed off to Randy and then basked in the knowledge that I was done. I had covered the 5.1 miles in 43:56 which was an 8:33 per mile pace. I had rocked that last leg. It is now my favorite 3rd relay leg beating out my last leg in the Bourbon Chase.
As I took a few minutes to look at the gorgeous view of Lake Michigan, I reflected on how well I had done in this race. I had trained hard and it paid off. I ran 21.1 miles over 3 legs in 3:02:23 and at an 8:38 per mile pace. I had run one of my best relays ever. But the race wasn't over for my team. So we headed to the van and we covered our last legs at a good pace for each of our runners. We handed off to Van 2 around 11:00 a.m. and headed to Traverse City to check into our hotel and clean up before grabbing breakfast.After breakfast, we hung out in downtown Traverse City as we waited for Van 2 to finish. What a cool downtown area. We spent a lot of time on Front Street looking at the brick sidewalks and 19th-century Victorian storefronts. There were pear trees all around us. The trees had not started to change color. But it was still a beautiful fall day. After a couple of hours, we walked over to the finish line area at the park on the West Arm of Traverse Bay. It was sunny and we stretched out on the grass and waited for Gordon to come in to the finish line.
Van 2 arrived and we waited for Gordon to come in. He came in feeling strong and smiling. We joined up with him an ran across the finish line together. We had completed 195.4 miles in 31:07:15.7 which was 9:33 per mile pace. We had finished 111th place overall out of 238 teams. We were in the Mixed Division and had finished 30th out of 50 teams. The power of the penguin had helped us finish in a very respectable time.
Now that I have had a few days to reflect on the race, I am so glad that we chose this particular Ragnar. It was well organized. The course and legs ran through beautiful scenery at every turn. Everyone on the team felt that it was one of their top 3 races and would highly recommend it to other runners. Personally I had one of my best relay races out of the 13 I have run so far. I am not sure what the next race our team will choose to run but I will always remember this one as one of the most enjoyable races I have ever run.Sept 25 – 3.20 miles (35:02, 10:57 pace) - Hill Repeats
Sept 26 – 3.10 miles (26:21, 8:30 pace)
Sept 27 – 3.10 miles (26:42, 8:37 pace)
Sept 29 – 8.10 miles (1:09:12, 8:34 pace) - Ragnar Michigan Leg 1
Sept 29 – 7.90 miles (1:09:15, 8:50 pace) - Ragnar Michigan Leg 2
Sept 30 – 5.10 miles (43:56, 8:33 pace) - Ragnar Michigan Leg 3
Oct 2 – 4.10 miles (42:23, 10:20 pace) - Ragnar 7 Summit Challenge 1
Oct 3 – 3.60 miles (35:34, 9:52 pace) - Ragnar 7 Summit Challenge 2
Oct 4 – 4.10 miles (42:47, 10:26 pace) - Ragnar 7 Summit Challenge 3
Oct 5 – 4.30 miles (45:30, 10:35 pace) - Ragnar 7 Summit Challenge 4
Oct 6 – 4.10 miles (42:58, 10:29 pace) - Ragnar 7 Summit Challenge 5
Oct 7 – 8.50 miles (1:25:05, 10:01 pace) - Ragnar 7 Summit Challenge 6
Oct 8 – 5.10 miles (56:12, 11:01 pace) - - Ragnar 7 Summit Challenge 7
Total Miles: 64.3 miles
2017 Total Miles: 1,448.2 miles
