2012 Blue Ridge Relay, Part II: Setting the Pace

Despite some issues with traffic and some insane driving from Rob, Stache and Dash crossed the Virginia border and arrived at Grayson Highlands State Park around 10:45 a.m. This gave us plenty of time to check in and for Allen and Josh to warm up. I slipped on my Stache and Dash singlet as someone handed me a race number that I secured in my "dirt bag."

It's worth explaining at this point a few things about race logistics: There are 36 legs of this relay race, so three legs each per person on a 12-member team, which we and most teams were. The start times were staggered based on predicted time, so the supposedly faster teams would start later. As a faster team, we were assigned an 11:30a.m. start time, whereas some teams started as early as 8:00a.m. Once the running started, the "on" van would grab the runner who had just finished and allow some brief respite before piling back into the van and heading to the next exchange so the on-deck runner could hydrate and warm up. These scenarios would often get hectic depending on the length of the "on" leg and the speed of the "on" runner. The "off" van would simply drive to the next transition zone. The exchange zone was where one runner would hand off to the next; the transition zone was where one van would hand off to the other.

We had just enough time to pose for some pictures, decorate our vans, and mill around for a bit before we took off.

From Left to Right: Jay Barringer, Lauren Tilton, Adrienne Anetrini, Jason Blackwood, Josh Brewer, Allen Strickland, Siobhan Havlik, Sarah Keen, Emily Barrett, Julie Przybyla, Rob Ducsay, John Fillette.

Sarah Keen looks for a space to add some artwork to Van 1. Van decoration is a tradition at the Blue Ridge Relay.

Getting some wise words from Coach Hovis before the race. Ben's team started right after we did and crossed the line before any other team whilst finishing third overall.

The 11:30 starting line. Kicking Ultra Asphalt is third from the left. Chick Maggots is fourth from the left, Allen right in the middle, and Carolyn Maye from Charlotte's all-women Fast and Pretty is third from the right.

We watched Allen cruise through Grayson Highlands State Park. This was it. The Blue Ridge Relay had begun. A shot of adrenaline coursed through my veins as I begun to get really excited. I drove my van on past EZ 1, where Josh was anxiously waiting. I gave him some words of encouragement and then Van 2 got out of the way. It was time for us to make our way to Transition Zone 1.

I arrived at a church on the side of a mountain road and handed the car keys to John Fillette. My driving duties were over for awhile and it was time to hydrate and slap on the running costume. My first leg would start off downhill, then take a big uphill, then a VERY big uphill before a fast finish. It would be about 5.4 miles of tough, rolling terrain. Van 1 was keeping us updated on the proceedings - it sounded like things were going very well so far - and so I knew when to expect Emily to come rolling in.

She arrived and I slapped on the bracelet. I had no idea what I was in for on this first leg. It started downhill, surely enough, but there were two uphills on this leg that were unlike anything I had seen before. After being all alone for awhile, I pressed on up at the sight of another runner, using him as motivation to keep going when my body was feeling shot. It was hot and humid but I managed to nab my first roadkill of the trip with one attempt, and then handed off to Jay.

Preparing to slap the bracelet on Jay's left arm.

I averaged 7:06 pace for my first leg, which pleased me greatly. If I wasn't ready for BRR beforehand, I was now; I think knowing what I was up against and slaying some demons opened things up for me. I chatted with the team and started scarfing down food as Fillette reminded us that we had to get moving to the next EZ. The next leg was relatively short and we had a fast runner on the roads. Surely enough, Jay made it to Exchange Zone 8 awfully quickly (his time was the equivalent to about a 26:30 8K) but we had gotten Julie ready in time. Van 2 was off and running and enjoying themselves. We drove past Julie as she began to pick off roadkills. The roads were starting to get a little more popular as we were beginning to catch some of the slower teams that had started ahead of us. After Julie's first leg, it was time for Lauren Tilton to take over. 

I had quickly come to appreciate Lauren's persona, as she is very sweet and always smiling. It was amusing to drive up a steep grade as we passed and cheered for her and then see her flash a smile. We were all very impressed with both her attitude and her running ability this weekend. After Lauren, Adrienne took over and the van had to take a detour as support vans were not allowed on the parkway during the night hours. This would be the case for Fillette's leg, as well. We waited for Adrienne at EZ 11 as she destroyed her 10K PR, blasting up the hill with a look of steely competitiveness on her face. Then, Fillette was off. The sun was setting on Day 1 of the BRR as we headed through Boone and on towards the Tangier Outlets.

The scene at Tangiers could best be described as a humongous runners party. We saw the Charlotte Runners, with Jade Laughlin, Josh James, Gisele Tlutsky, and others; we saw DURT, Bobby Aswell's and Stan Austin's team; we saw Fast and Pretty with Michelle, Dalena, Anna, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed this stop as it turned out to be my one chance to really bond with Brewer. We talked about how much fun we were having and how great it was to experience something together again. Brewer remarked that the setting sun and the parking lot full of vans reminded him of the high school state track meets. We then started talking about food and realized we could help each other: I was in need of something sweet or salty after packing too much of the same stuff; he was in need of some vegetables after packing too much fruit and peanut butter. And so, I successfully exchanged some baby carrots for some dates, raisins, and a peanut butter-topped bagel. 

Not long after that, John Fillette came cruising into the second Transition Zone. It was about 8:30 p.m. and Van 2 had finished its first session, Allen Strickland had the bracelet, and it was time to move on.

Stay tuned for Part III.