So 2016 is the second year I ran Del Sol. I had a blast in 2015 when I joined a group of strangers with 2 of my friends. This year I captained a team, so every team mate was a friend or a friend of a friend. That makes for a good time! The thing I don't like a bout the Ragnar Road Relays is that your team is really 2 teams. You don't spend much time with "the other van" and so it can be hard to feel connected to each other. However, your van mates are your running mates & cheer squad and we had a blast making our way through 200-ish miles of Arizona.

This was the 10th anniversary of Ragnar Del Sol and they had promised great swag & such for the occasion. The t-shirts were pretty cool, but the captain's gift was a big disappointment. It was a pair of orange sunglasses that probably cost all of 99 cents. That left me a bit unhappy. But, we were there to run, so run we did.

I took on "the longest leg ever" - a 13.5, all uphill portion of the relay in the heat of the day. I run a lot - a whole lot. I can pretty much run a half marathon without training. This leg was hard. Most half marathons aren't all uphill and they definitely don't start at 4:00 in the afternoon when it's 83 degrees out. But, I earned an extra medal for my efforts, so that was cool.

The major exchanges where both vans meet up were all well done. They had plenty of vendors and the high schools offered sleeping areas, showers, and hot meals for a few dollars. This was a nice benefit so we didn't have to fork out big bucks for a hotel room we would have only used for a few hours and we didn't have to subject a restaurant to "eau de runner."

The final legs of the race were hard for our team (and probably many teams) because it was hot. Ragnar can't control the weather, so that's nothing against them, just part of how it rolls when running a race like this in AZ - even in February.

The finish line was a nice celebration. Great medals were given to each team member and each team received 2 pizzas, breadsticks, and drinks to enjoy. They also had cake for the 10th anniversary. There was music and other entertainment, and a variety of vendor booths. There was even a couple who actually got married at the finish line - so that was pretty cool too.

I can't guarantee a wedding in future years, but the finish line at Ragnar events is usually a lot of fun. Will I do it again? I don't know. 2 times might be enough for me, but then I might get talked into it by one of my running friends again, so who knows?