Ragnar Relay Race Las Vegas

Still on my Ragnar high!!!
Anyone who loves running needs to put a Ragnar on their bucket list. So fun!
This was my first Ragnar Relay, so I can only compare it to other races in general, but there were some definite pros and cons about this Relay.
The basics:
— 12 man team (or 6 if you go ultra).
— Each runner picks what runner number they want to be and you run three legs, predetermined by Ragnar. I was runner 9, and ran the same 3 legs as all runner 9s.
— 2 Vans of 6 runners. When your van is running, you support your runner (cheering, water breaks). When your van is off, you can go and rest, eat, shower, etc.
— There are exchange points where runners pass a slap bracelet baton. The volunteers call out the race bib number of the approaching runner, so your next runner can be waiting in the box (you have to exchange in the orange caution tape areas) to start. Ragnar volunteers write down your team bib number and the time you exchanged, to make sure that there is no cheating (skipping a leg).
Pros:
— Race communication goes through a team captain.
— Start times are staggered (teams with slower projected finish times start the earliest), every half hour, with no more than 20 teams starting at once, making it not congested at all!
— Exchanges (Usually at parks or local churches) had plenty of parking and restrooms (porta potties and/​or public restrooms)
— Finish line was super efficient! After your team runs through (your whole team can run through together!) you are handed a packet with 12 medals and stickers.
Cons:
— While the race app was nice to have (maps, elevation directions to exchanges, race bible), many of the legs had the wrong start/​finish and elevation posted; it was flipped. So what looked like a all downhill leg was in actuality and all UPHILL leg. No Bueno!
— Sometimes the exchanges were very far from parking.
— Most legs were pretty clear, but a couple did not have good signage posted so there was some confusion on which way to go.
— A few legs were a different distance that what was posted (I was supposed to do a 5.1, 6.1, and 3.5 and the actual legs ending up being 5.1, 5.25, and 2.5).
Overall, the pros far outweighed the cons. The race was so much fun, running on no sleep is not for the faint of heart, but you’ll never forget it!
And! My team took 2^nd place for all women’s teams. Booyah!!!

Ragnar Relay Series!
This one is definitely different. Hailing from San Diego California the experience was definitely different. I did miss the snow since I was in Van 2 and I didn’t have to run until after lunch.
My fellow Ragnarians who did So. Cal liked this much better.
Pros:
1. We rented a house with a thousand bedrooms so we didn’t have to sleep in the van.
2. The exchanges were within 30 minutes of civilization so we could shower and take power naps when we were not running.
3. Food was not a problem since we went to Costco and cooked our own food during the major exchanges.
4. The beer garden was a plus
Cons:
1. Three of the major exchanges were within a mile of each other which created a lot of confusion for Van 1 so the stress levels were pretty high.
2. A little on the disorganized side since we didn’t get a slap bracelet until after the following day.
3. The whole team did not receive their bracelets.
4. The box of pizza for six after running almost 200 miles is not enough. Actually it created friction on who is going to eat the extra slice.
Would I do this event again? Heck yeah and we are looking forward the Trail Series.

Driving up Mount Charleston through snow flurries with five other runners, a case each of water and Gatoraide, snacks and too little clothing, I begin to wonder what I’ve signed up for.
The event itself was AMAZING! I found that everyone on our team bonded and supported each other with incredible team work, humor and tolerance. I would do this again in a heartbeat. Now, you may wonder, with such glowing praise for the experience, why three stars? Ah my friends, this is where the story gets interesting…
First off, this event is EXPENSIVE! I mean, break open your kids piggy bank, pull money out of savings and be prepared to shuck out lots of hard green. We did decide to do this late, so our registration came to $ 146 per person, which for an adventure race isn’t out of line, but you will have to pay the full amount for the entire team in one payment. If you don’t happen to have 12 runners already convinced that two full days of running is a good idea, that’s a hefty bill.
Now, I’m hearing you say, «That’s not really that bad for a massive event like this» and I would usually agree, but then we added up the additional fees that were not apparent when we first signed up. You will have to rent two vans unless you’ve got a creepy uncle who’s still clinging to the 70’s with a hoopty sporting a «if this van’s a rockin, don’t come a knockin» bumper sticker (then you’ve still got to shuck out bucks to have that beast steam cleaned before any sane person would sleep in it) — So at about $ 300 per van and another $ 100 in gas, you’re dumping another $ 800 into transportation.
Ok, ok, I know you’re thinking, «Of course you’d have to provide your own transportation, but that’s it right?» and of course, you’d be wrong again. You also have to buy reflective vests for every team mate, at least two head lamps and two tail lamps for each van. I know were not talkin big bucks, but after already paying $ 1700 to register and $ 800 for rides, it starts to get annoying. Oh, and you can’t just use any kind of vest or lamps. Got a cool shirt with reflective sleeves, nope, not good enough. You’ve got to buy one of the approved items listed on their site.
Finally, I’m hearing you say: «I can borrow my brother’s Escalade (He can give up one weekend pimpin’, right?), and I’ve got some safety gear because I already run at night sometimes» but wait, there’s more, If you so much as have one runner that lives within 100 miles of the course, you’ll also have to convince three more people to volunteer to man portions of the race. Yup, you heard right, you’ve got to be a temp service for the race on top of the $ 2,500 you’ve already shucked out. Don’t have any friends, or all of the good friends you do have you’ve already convinced to run this thing with you? It’s ok, you can pay the race an additional $ 120 per missing volunteer. That could take this up to almost $ 3,000 in expenses before you even start. And if you’re from out of town, plane tickets or gas will be even more expensive.
Ok, so your rich and you bank roll the whole lot without even blinking. Your now expecting an amazing experience right? Well buckle up hombre, because this ain’t no trained pony you’ve signed up to ride. The logistics of running this event are immense, and most of the staff are folks that local runners have guilted into working their weekend. We started off at the start line registration which had no signs telling us where to go, or what to do. The check in was spread over four locations, some required all runners while others just required one to sign, or pick up items. The safety briefing was over a distorted microphone in blowing snow, and focused more on chanting the emergency number than on what to do and what not to do. Oh, and even after shucking out money for vests and lamps, we were forced to pony up a credit cart deposit for safety flags that if not returned would cost us an additional $ 40.
Once we got all of our info we found out that about a third of our courses had suddenly become non-​support legs. What does that mean, you ask? Well a support leg is when you and your team leapfrog ahead of the person running to check on them and be a mobile water station. Yup, you’ve got to do the water station portion of the course yourself at your own expense (kind of a plus and a minus, It was great to support our team, but after paying this much money, you’d expect at least some water)
Now a non-​support leg means that you cannot stop and help your runner while they are running. On these legs, Ragnar folks set up water stations, though they were not staffed so your runner has to get their own cup then play go fish to find out which of the three coolers still has water. We saw many van’s ignoring the non-​support restriction, pulling off to help their runners anyway.
Overall, It was a fantastic event that really needs some tightening up. I’m sure it’s a great race the second time, but it’s hell if you don’t already know what you should and shouldn’t be doing.