This past September, a bunch of friends from town asked me to join in a 200 mile relay race. The Reach The Beach challenge is a 20+ hour relay with up to 12 people. Typically, each runner tackles about 15 - 20 miles but the course does not let you distribute the runs evenly. The unequal distances combined with the varying mountainous terrain lead to logistical challenges when setting up a team.
We were down by one runner and a few people volunteered to run an extra leg. Overall, the race went very well. There were five first time runners and six veterans. Everyone put in a tremendous effort despite the terrain challenges, traffic challenges, and surprising heat. We called ourselves Fried Chicken... And Beer.
The events started well before race day. Gerry sent out the obligatory email "hey, who's in for RTB?". We (Bryce, Caroline, Greg, Tony, Kathryn, Gerry, Bill, Lisa, Liz, John, Jamie, and Robyn) dragged our feet for a bit then replied with definite maybes. As time went on those maybes turned into YES and the team was formed. Note we had the clever idea to line up for the photo in race order so we could look back at times like this and know who ran when.
A group of us met at the Blue Buffalo in Milford to discuss logistics and drink beer. Gerry prepared handouts and we all reviewed our running legs. We debated our estimated times and helped Gerry prepare a target finish time.
Weeks passed, vans were rented, gear was packed, food was prepared, and at 4:37pm on Thursday September 13th, Fried Chicken and Beer pulled out of Hopedale in a two van caravan en route to Cannon New Hampshire. A few days before departure, Bryce dropped out of the race due to an injury. He decided to stay with the team and help with driving (Thanks Bryce!). He should be all healed up and ready for next year.
We stopped at Panera in Concord NH for dinner on the way. Some of us bought coffee, others thought a good nights sleep would be better. We all ate well, looking forward to a pleasant sleep in a real bed before the 30 hour stretch of van life.
Our first night was at a vacation home of Bryce's friend. What a place. Beds for everyone. A view of Mt. Washington, and several bottle openers. Unfortunately there was only one wine bottle. Perhaps it was for the best, we had to get up early.
In the morning we stopped at the the Grand Depot Cafe in Jackson NH for breakfast. Wow. What a breakfast. We ate a lot. Some of us had too much coffee.
Our team started around 11am on the 14th. There was music and fan fare and we took pictures and we bought shwag.
Caroline ran first. After Caroline left, both vans drove along the route, honking and cheering on the way. Van 1 began their rotation while Van 2 drove on to the next van-to-van transition. For our team, this was transition 5.
Caroline handed off to Greg. The morning weather was cool and nice. As noon approached it got warm and the mid-day runners felt the heat.
Greg handed off to Tony. It got warmer. Van 2 decorated their van with paints and cardboard cutouts of chickens.
Tony handed off to Kathryn. Van 2 was getting hungry and snacked while waiting.
Kathryn handed off to Gerry. Van 2 was getting itchy.
Gerry handed off to Bill. It was no longer a cool fall day in New Hampshire but a blisteringly hot afternoon in the desert. Despite all the rattlesnakes and hot sand, Bill finished his leg without dying.
Bill handed off to Lisa. Meanwhile, Van 1 was playing leapfrog to meet Van 2 again at transition 11. I think Van 1 went out for drinks and saw a movie but this has not been confirmed.
Lisa ran in heat that was starting to taper then handed off to Liz.
Liz handed off to John. It was now getting dark so we needed lights and reflectors.
John handed off to Jamie. This was her first solo run. In the dark. In a remote area. Far away from anyone. It was a new challenge.
Jamie handed off to Robyn. She liked it so much, she wanted to run again.
Robyn handed off Caroline and the rotation began again.
We cycled through this rotation three times. After the third rotation, three runners from Van 1 ran again with Tony crossing the finish line, but more about that later.
Along the route for this kind of race, highlights usually center on stupidity, starvation, and sleeplessness. Colorful stories abound here. Suffice it to say "what goes in the van, stays in the van".
Failures in a race like this typically occur when a van appears at the wrong transition station or shows up late. With the superb planning provided by Gerry, we had no issues with logistics.
It is also common for runners to get lost on the course. This did not happen either. Yeah Team!
I generally enjoy the midnight runs. The streets are quiet. The stars are out and the air is crisp. My midnight run was around 2am along hilly country roads. I suppose a walk along quiet country roads at 2am would also be nice, just not as nice as a run.
In one of our late night transitions we managed to arrive at the parking lot several hours early and get a few hours of desperately needed sleep. Sleep is always a challenge in a race like this. Many things are going on and many people are moving around. Eventually most people realize that sleep is just not going to happen and Dunkin Donuts coffee becomes your best friend.
Along the Van 2 route, we found a Subway and a Dunkin Donuts for warm additions to the food we packed in the van. We also partook of many of the vendors at the transition stations. This included pizza, clam chowder, bagels, and fruit. At one transition I bought a 6-pack of beer (for sharing of course), a cheese-burger, and a hot-dog. This did not impede my running. I swear. Oh, and the beer was for the end of the race.
For my last leg, I had a 5 mile stretch that was mostly down hill. As this was late in the race, most runners were getting tired. With a cheeseburger and hot-dog in my gut, I was not tired and enjoyed passing people. It is a race, after all.
Tony crossed the finish line at 5:49pm making our overall time 29:49 - about 11 minutes faster than our estimate.
We gathered for more team photos then ate Boloco burrito bowls. The food was good and the beer was good too. We talked, ate more, drank more, packed up, and headed for Hopedale.
Everyone in Van 2 slept on the way home. Even me. I was driving. I think everyone in Van 1 slept too because Gerry did not answer his cell. Amazing how well we can drive while sleeping. It's an important skill in this type of race.
The next day after van cleaning and returns, RTB 2012 was finished. Another race well run.
Late Breaking Photos! These just in from Gerry. (Actually he sent the link months ago...)
Van 2
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