Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 125, December 2019

RAGNAR TRAIL ADVERTORIAL A HALF MARATHON SLEEPOVER T here is no simple way to explain a Ragnar event. We tried at the Cape Town Marathon Expo, where 20,000 road runners passed by and many paused, intrigued by the compelling visuals. “It’s a 24-hour event...” we started, and one guy just walked away. “A team event that...” and the introvert runner’s eyes glazed over. “It’s a festival of running!” we tried with the next guys. They stayed attentive, so we quickly added more. “You find seven mates and form a relay team, set up your campsite in the race village and then one of you runs a loop in the forest. When he’s back, someone else goes out on a different loop around the dam, and then the third does a loop in the mountain, rotating until all eight of you have run all three trails. The total distance you’ll each run is about 24km, but one leg will be done in the day, one at night and the other in the morning. In between, you camp and kuier, braai and nap. There’ll be music, movies and activities. It’s like Woodstock for runners! Oh, and Ultra teams have half the people, and double the distance each.” These folk immediately signed up to win an entry to the inaugural South African edition of the massively popular international Ragnar event in May 2020, and we worked on refining our blurb! GREAT SPIRIT, GREAT VIBE Having since then been to the States and participated in two Ragnar events, we still can’t write about it succinctly, except to say that a lot of exclamation marks are required!!! That’s because Ragnar is huge!!! Big in the way that all US things are... big on camaraderie, big on bling, and big on not taking itself too seriously. If you say ‘bookclub’ and mean ‘wine tasting,’ then you’re on the right path. Similarly, when you hear “24-hour trail relay” and think tent town, marshmallows at midnight, spandex superhero outfits, and all with three great single-track routes to run, you’re there! The Ragnar brand is whimsical and lighthearted, and what’s overwhelmingly obvious is the team ‘gees’ and feel-good vibe. In South Carolina, one of the 18 Ragnar trail events held across the USA, we saw a bachelorette party team, several multi-generation family combos, a school reunion, hockey club and corporates, with names like Lost in Pace, and Resisting a Rest. However, our favourite team was The Running Richards... All eight friends were outfitted in tank tops and candy striped red polly shorts above long socks, and big fuzzy brown wigs. I knew they were parodying the flambouyant 80s aerobics guru, Richard Simmons, but it was only when we Wiki-ed him that we realised how appropriate this theme is to the Ragnar ethos. Simmons had weighed 122kg at a time when exercise studios favoured only the already fit as customers, so he established his own gym, where emphasis was placed on healthy eating and enjoyable exercise in a supportive atmosphere. He claims to have “helped humanity lose 5.5 million kilograms,” by having outrageous fun. EVERYONE WILL BE THERE! Running relay means you always have someone to cheer you in and out, and it’s tradition that at the end of the final loop the whole team runs in together. The logistics can appear confusing at first, but there’s sophisticated support from the organisers, and plans in place for every excuse, so if you don’t want to run at night, or alone, or someone pulls out, or the hot chocolate runs out, a solution is offered. All y’all need to do is round up seven mates that will do 7-ish kays three times. So, we still haven’t found a way to describe the event concisely, but there’s a simple, very compelling answer to the question, why Ragnar? “All my friends are doing it.” “WHEN YOU HEAR “24-HOUR TRAIL RELAY” AND THINK TENT TOWN, MARSHMALLOWS AT MIDNIGHT, SPANDEX SUPERHERO OUTFITS, AND ALL WITH THREE GREAT SINGLE-TRACK ROUTES TO RUN, YOU’RE THERE!” ISSUE 125 DECEMBER 2019 / www.modernathlete.co.za 48

Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 125, December 2019 | Page 48