Ragnar Trail Zion 2014

I'm not even sure where to begin writing a recap of Ragnar Trail Zion 2014! Really writing a recap of any relay.

It was an incredible couple of days - despite Mother Nature not really being on our side.

We left early Friday morning after playing a little Jenga with all of our gear in the trunk of George's car. We really didn't think it would all fit, but yeah. we're just that good. :)

Last year, the guy I drove to Zion with took a back route, but this year, we drove several miles through Zion National Park. We didn't stop at all, but I did manage to snap a couple pics from the car window.

Absolutely gorgeous!

We arrived at Zion Ponderosa Ranch with plenty of time before our 2pm start time, and lucky for us, some of our teammates had arrived earlier and already had our campsite all set up.

It was cool and cloudy. Perfect day for a run!

I had the Red Loop as my first leg. 8 miles of pure hell.

Ok. It wasn't really that bad, but it was a lot harder than I'd remembered. It was beautiful, though.

While we had the sweet campsite all set up for between legs, one of our teammates also had rented a cabin for her husband and grandson. Shortly after my first leg, I hopped in the golf cart to check out the cabin. :)

Oh yeah. Totally roughing it.

I may have even taken a nap.

My 2nd leg was around 11:30pm. I knew it was going to be brutal. This was the most difficult leg for me last year.

It's pretty much straight up a mountain and then straight down.

And I was running it in the DARK. And my headlamp was dying. I tried to run fast, to outrun the dying battery, but by the end, I could only barely see enough to walk.

Another runner lent me his headlamp, so I could finish strong. He'd hurt is knee and had been walking for awhile. It felt great to really bust it out at the end.

The runner after me was on the long loop, and we both wanted to go back to the cabin, so I decided to wait for her. I had some hot cocoa and sat by the campfire to cool down after my run. Then I snuggled into the tent while I waited for her - getting into the tent only minutes before the rain started.

After Hyla finished her leg, we loaded up the golf cart in the pouring rain and headed to the warmth of the cabin.

Where we warmed up, showered, and went to sleep.

To wake up to this...

And word that the rest of Ragnar Trail Zion had been canceled.

Sure, it was disappointing that we couldn't finish out the relay, but it was really bad out there. The trails were a sloppy mess. The markers were nearly invisible. Let's just say it was a bit dangerous.

Plus, I can't imagine the destruction that would have happened to the beautiful trails at Zion Ponderosa Ranch.

We still decided to stay Saturday night and head back to Vegas Sunday morning.

It was still pretty crisp and cool Sunday morning, but the skies were sunny and blue!

The weather may not have been the best, but the fun we had hanging out has a team was unbeatable! So much that we've all decided to get our revenge next year. Cabin included.

Have you ever had a race canceled?
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