2019 Ragnar Sunset Washington DC
Scroll all the way down to the end of the post for the tl;dr version.
Prologue
Unlike a traditional Ragnar Relay, in which teams of 12 runners who run three legs of varying distances complete a course that is roughly 200-miles while driving vans to different locations; for Ragnar Sunset Washington D.C., the entire event occurs at the National Harbor and each runner on a four-person team runs the same 4.7 mile loop twice.
The timing was perfect for my 2019 New York City Marathon training because I had just finished 6 weeks of endurance building and was ready to race! Earlier in the week, I ran a 12 miler on Sunday, some half marathon pace miles on Wednesday and then took two easy days.
This relay experience would be different than my previous ones because I was the team captain! Since late May, I’d been pulling together two teams. I had to scramble a little in the weeks before the race to find enough runners but I did it. We entered one masters women team composed of women I’d previously done relays with and one open women team. I would run with the second team, which meant I had to appoint another Team One runner their official captain.
Usually, teams have clever names and t-shirts but I didn’t have the time or imagination for that. I used our previous team name and for decorations, purchased whiskey barrels (2017 Bourbon Chase), fisherman’s netting (2016 Ragnar Cape Cod and 2015 Ragnar Cape Cod), and Conch Republic flags (2014 Ragnar Key West).
Goals
Strategy: Treat the first run, which would be in the heat of the day, as an easy run and see if I could run harder during the second run when it might be slightly cooler.
Course
The course was a loop around the National Harbor and was not closed. From the exchange, which is south of the the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, the course heads east on National Harbor Boulevard, which is slightly uphill for most of the first mile. At MGM National Avenue, the course turns left onto the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Trail. After going up and over the Capital Beltway, the course heads back before crossing the Woodrow Wilson Bridge by way of the waterfront. The Ragnar balloon, which is where all teams start, looms ahead! But runners go through it and around a short trail section leading back to the exchange.
There was one water stop at Mile 1.5 and 3.5.
Playlist
Headphones were discouraged but permitted, so I listened to my “Fast Runs” playlist from Spotify. But, only during my first run…
Pre-Race
On Friday night, I stayed at the Gaylord Hotel at National Harbor. I thought staying at the race site would reduce some stress on Saturday morning. Team One Captain and met for dinner at a local restaurant with very slow service. I didn’t get to bed until 10:30pm and unfortunately, strange noises woke me in the middle of the night.
I woke up at 4am and after a little internal struggling, went to the local Starbucks for coffee and a bagel. It was a beautiful morning – mid-60s with clear skies! But, the temperature climbed steadily throughout the morning.
Team One Captain and I left the hotel at 10am with some gear so we could stake our team spots in “Ragnar Sunset Village”, which opened at 10:30am. I told the rest of our team that they should arrive about an hour and a half before start time – 12:45pm for Team One and 1:45pm for Team Two. From reading the Runner Packet, I thought teams would be assigned a 10×10 spot but we quickly learned it was first come, first serve. Team One Captain and I decided it would make sense for her to claim an area while I brought the rest of our stuff at the Gear Drop Area.
I walked about a half mile to my car, which was parked in the Gaylord‘s lot. Exiting the parking area, I angered a police officer by trying to turn before she gave me instructions to proceed. Once cleared by Officer Not Friendly, I parked near the Gear Drop Area and off-loaded a tent, five camp chairs, and two faux whiskey barrels filled of food and water. Then, I drove my car back and then shuttled food and supplies back and forth from the Gear Drop Area to our campsite once I reunited with Team One Captain.
Tents in the team area were set up haphazardly so it was difficult navigating the Village. The ground was very dry – it hadn’t rained in the Washington, D.C. area in weeks – and there was goose poop everywhere! But, we had a nice location that overlooked the water.
Team One Captain and I finally registered the teams at around 11:15am. Each team got a goodie bag with Health Warrior bar, FBomb Nut Butter, Emergen-C Super Orange, NikWax Basewash, Compeed Advanced Blister Care, Calmoseptine ointment, and Ragnar stickers. The team captains also got some Reebok gear including a fanny pack, sleep kit, and a sweat band. Unlike a regular Ragnar, teams shared a bib on a belt. There was a second line for t-shirts and I guessed at sizes because I didn’t think to ask what my teammates might want.
The event had rolling starts with the first set of teams going off at 11:30am and other groups leaving every 15 minutes thereafter. Once my teammates arrived and were settled, I walked them around the venue. There was a big parking lot with tents to buy Ragnar merchandise, one or two food trucks, a replica of Air Force One, deejay, and a beer garden.
Our two teams sat around our camp-site catching up, hydrating, getting geared up, and settling debts. (My teammates introduced me to Venmo – not to be confused with Vimeo.)
[dropshadowbox align=”center” effect=”raised” width=”800px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”4″ border_color=”#F9AC08″ rounded_corners=”false” outside_shadow=”false” ]As we were talking, it gradually dawned on us that it would be difficult for either team to finish before the venue closed at 7:30pm.[/dropshadowbox]
As our start time grew closer, Team Two discussed running order. We decided I would run the “anchor leg” and get the privilege of running through a Ragnar chute as the team captain. At 1:45 am, we gathered at the start and supported our first runner as she took off!
Weather
In the days before the race, the forecast called for an afternoon high temperatures around 90 degrees!
PM Update: Near 90 with increased humidity for the last day of summer on Sunday https://t.co/xV5HV8McpD
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) September 21, 2019
As predicted, both of my runs were in the upper 80s.
2019 Ragnar Sunset Washington D.C.
As anchor, it would be a few hours before I had to run. I used the time to support both teams by walking back and forth to the exchange, and letting runners on deck know when the next runner was on her way by text. (We could see when runners were about a half mile from the exchange and would text those waiting.)
My teammate and I walked with Runner Two to the exchange tent. It was crowded because, in addition to runners on deck, other teammates were hanging out in the area for the shade. I went to a smaller tent nearby that had a screen showing which teams were coming in but mostly, I cheered runners on with my cowbell. Runner One looked shocked from the heat when she came in and I grew worried about how fast I would be able to run.
While waiting, I saw a bunch of kids come through the exchange looking absolutely exhausted. Turns out they only ran a quarter-mile! A while later, Team One Runner Two came back to the camp site with bloody knees. In her attempt to get out of the way for the kids run, she tripped on a pole stump on the trail section of the course!
At around 3:30pm, just as I was starting to get ready for my run, my boyfriend and a friend of his arrived. We’d talked about them coming but the timing was bad. I was a bit short with them but knowing they are both runners, I thought they’d understand.
2019 Ragnar Sunset Washington DC – Leg 1. 4.8 miles (by Garmin) [Log Details].
The temperature was around 88 degrees for my first run but otherwise, it was uneventful. With the heat, I thought I would probably run 9:00 pace and was very surprised to see I was consistently running sub-8:00. I saw my boyfriend and his friend on the hill just after the start and they both cheered for me, which lift my spirits in the heat. The start was a slightly uphill and it took a while for my legs to turnover well. On the way out of the National Harbor, I passed the road block near the Gaylord and Officer Not Friendly from earlier in the day. I got passed by a couple of runners but didn’t want to give chase… yet. After turning left and away from the MGM National Harbor, the trail was narrow. But, runners did a good job of staying to the right so it wasn’t hard to pass. Soon, I passed the runners who passed me earlier. Two miles into the run, I passed our Team One Runner Four and guessed we’d made up about a half hour on them.
On the way back, I remembered the finish was slightly uphill so I slowed down a little. At around Mile 3.5, I saw my boyfriend and his friend again and waved! The course was not closed, so along the waterfront in National Harbor, I weaved around the crowds. After passing the Ragnar gate, I saw a pole sticking out of the ground that fell Team One Runner Two. At the exchange, I had a clean bib hand-off to Runner One.
Time=37:16 (by Garmin). Splits (by Garmin)=7:50, 7:47, 7:51, 7:53, 5:58 (7:59 pace). Overall pace: 7:49. Kills: Dozens/Killed: ~2.
Rest Period
Back at camp, I rested on a blanket and talked with my teammates, my boyfriend, and his friend. I wasn’t as tired as I thought I would be. In fact, I felt pretty fresh. Still, I drank a lot of Gatorade and water to make sure I stayed hydrated. Boyfriend’s friend was running a Ragnar in Utah and had a lot of questions for us. I was a little anxious about everyone getting along and was heartened when Runner One finished and the three of them went to have a beer.
At around 5:15pm, I walked with Runner Three to the exchange tent for her last leg. Moments later, she came over to me and said she’d heard a rumor that they weren’t letting any teams leave after 6pm! We didn’t think she would finish before then. I saw runners gathered around a volunteer giving them their team numbers and asked what was going on.
[dropshadowbox align=”center” effect=”raised” width=”800px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”4″ border_color=”#F9AC08″ rounded_corners=”false” outside_shadow=”false” ]The volunteer explained teams were “doubling up” in order to finish the race. I asked her if our time would count if we did that. At first, I thought she said they wouldn’t, so I walked off in frustration. I wanted our time to count! But when I came back, she said they would if the team gave her their bib number.[/dropshadowbox]
I gave her my bib number and rushed back to the exchange tent. Runner Two came in and Runner Three and I both started running!
2019 Ragnar Sunset Washington DC – Leg 2. 4.4 miles (by Garmin) [Log Details].
I started my second leg at 5:49pm, which meant I only got an hour and 22 minutes rest. I didn’t have my headphones or visor but thankfully, I hadn’t changed out of my shoes! I’m a little faster than Runner Three and she told me I could take off but I figured I should stay close so we could finish together. But, I didn’t want to one-step her so I stayed about 10 yards ahead of her. I passed our Team One Runner Three and thought about explaining to her why we were both running but figured she might not care. At the turnaround, I could see she wasn’t far behind, though. By this point in the evening, there were even more people at the waterfront. I stopped about a quarter mile from the finish to wait for Runner Three, who had fallen behind. A spectator told me to finish and then run back to give my teammate my bib, so that’s what I did. I waited for her at the end of the gate, though, so we could finish together.
Time=36:49 (by Garmin). Splits (by Garmin)=8:23, 8:06, 8:16, 8:10, 3:57 (9:39 pace). Overall pace: 8:23. Kills: ?/Killed: ~0.
Result
Our unofficial result, which puts us as the winner of the open women open category, was 4 hours and 40 minutes. But I think this is when Runner Three finished. If the official open women results show teams where all four runners finished, then I think we would have finished four or fifth. My guess is that if my run had counted, we would have finished around 5 hours and 15 minutes.
Post-Race
Wanting our time to count, I immediately checked in at a table to make sure we were recorded as finished.
Back at our camp site, I bestowed medals to my teammates and everyone started breaking down camp.
It had been a long day and I was told the beer tent was closing at 7pm! Intent on celebrating, I left my teammates so I could have a beer with my boyfriend and his friend.
We tried to have a team dinner that evening but all of the restaurants were packed! In the end, most of us just ate at the bar of a local Mexican food place and then gradually said our good-byes.
Epilogue
I liked the concept of this race but the organizers didn’t start the event early enough for the teams to complete the challenge. The National Harbor was a great venue, though.
Unfortunately, I got sick a few days later and my training was derailed for most of the week. (It’s also why this race report is so late.) Still, running so fast in such unbearable heat gave me a lot of confidence that my speed will return once the weather cools down.
Next race: 2019 EX2 Adventures Fall Backyard Burn 10 Mile Race #1: Lake Fairfax on Sunday, October 6th.
Abridged Version
This was my first time captaining a Ragnar relay team and it was a little stressful! The temperature was around 88 degrees for my first run but otherwise, it was uneventful. For my second run, I “doubled up” and started with Runner Three so our team could finish before the 7pm cut-off. Unfortunately, we still received an unofficial result, which was disappointing. The National Harbor was a great venue but the race itself was unfulfilling because the organizers didn’t give many teams enough time to finish.
