Ragnar Niagara 2018

2018 has been flying by. I can hardly believe that I am saying, Ragnar Niagara is happening in less than a week!

What is Ragnar again?

The Reebok Ragnar Relay is still relatively new event in Canada, but is quickly gaining traction. For me, a huge part of running is about community. Ragnar Relay's takes that concept and has put together incredible events where you work together as a team to accomplish something that we could never do on our own. If you are wondering what Ragnar is, and how the Ragnar Relay works, here is a short video clip that illustrates it:

The Ragnar Niagara Relay sponsored by Reebok includes team of 12 people (or 6 for the ultra distance) and takes us on an epic 300KM journey racing relay style from Coburg to Niagara Falls. Each person runs 3 legs of varying lengths followed by the rest of the team in 2 vans.

Being a part of Ragnar is really a unique experience. The work, planning and logistics that go into putting on a race like this is really a feat on it's own, and one you can't really appreciate until you see it all come together.

Ragnar Niagara 2017

Last year around this time I was dealing with 2 stress fractures and was unable to run. Luckily, I was still able to take part as a driver for our team Endorphriends, sponsored by Reebok Canada. Being a driver gives you a different perspective on the event, but I don't think it makes you any less tired. It's been rumoured that I *may* have used a roll of paper towel as a pillow to get some sleep sitting up in the drivers seat.

Here are a few photos from our experience last year, and if you would like to read more about it, my blog post is here:

Reebok Ragnar Relay: Niagara 2018

This year we welcome back Team Endorphriends, once again sponsored by Reebok Canada with some familiar Endorphriend monsters and few new ones.

After having gone through the organization of Ragnar Niagara last year, this year seems everyone a lot more at ease. Most of the team have participated before and so we know what to expect and the logistics seem less daunting. This year I am happy to be part of it again, but it will be a new experience for me being a runner. As I've wrapped up my spring goal races, Ragnar Niagara is a nice little interlude before I start focusing on getting ready for my big goals in my fall races - namely the Chicago Marathon. However, being a runner at Ragnar Trail Cottage Country last year, I understand the exhaustion that also comes with being a runner. By my last leg at Ragnar Trail (which just happened to be the hardest one), I was super exhausted. (Psssst ... if you are interested in running Ragnar Trail this year, use this link for a discount code).

As Runner #7, I am the first runner in Van #2 and will have Erik handing off to me at the major exchange points. Being Runner #7, I have ended up with some of the longer legs on the team (totaling just over 30KM). Having faced a few unprecedented health challenges after finishing Mississauga Half Marathon at the beginning of May (throwing my back out, and then subsequently getting knocked down by the flu), I know this is going to be a challenge. Luckily for me, Team Endorphriends is all about supporting each other and having fun. My goal is to get through it happy, healthy and enjoying the company of some of my closest friends.

None of this would be possible without Allison, our killer Captain who has spent countless hours organizing us; Cathy, our in house graphic designer (and her company gawck) who created the "Endorphriend" and does amazing job to make sure vans along with all of the other subtle touches to make our team stand out; and Reebok Canada who outfitted us (both this year and last year) with great looking functional gear that will keep us warm, cool and comfortable across 300KMs. (I will be sharing more about this gear in an upcoming post).

I also want to give a big thanks to our Endorphriend volunteers - Janice, Nancy and Lisa, who support us and make this possible.

Ragnar Relays, both road and trail, have quickly become one of my favourite events of the year. Ragnar shows us that if we support each other and work together, we can accomplish things we never thought possible on our own. One of Reebok's go to hashtags is #StrongerTogether. This is so fitting for this event. Will I ever be able to run 300KM on my own? No. But as a team, together we can. I can't wait to cross the finish line with this amazing group of people.

**This post has been sponsored by Reebok Canada. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are still my own**