Six Boulder Road Runner (BRR) women and their teammates did more than just run the “mother of all relays”, Hood to Coast in Oregon. They won the Super Master’s division (ages 50+) by more than five hours, and placed 7th/54 women’s teams overall! Each lady ran three legs within their team’s total time of 26 hours, 9 minutes. BRR members who took on this exciting challenge: Lesia Atkinson, Marcey Cote, Kate De Simone, Vicki Hunter, Stephanie Scholl, and Ally Serrao.
Team Captain Vicki Hunter wrote a blog about the experience:
Post Race Blog: Why I Love Running Relays
By Vicki Hunter
One thing I know about humans is we can drown ourselves in ‘purpose’…always having something on the to-do list. So our days get filled up with activities that can feel unfulfilling. But in a relay race, when the entire goal is to get to the finish line the fastest way possible as a team, tasks get simplified.
When my friend, Lesia, asked me if I wanted to be on a relay team for this year’s Hood To Coast (HTC), I hesitated for one second before saying yes. The hesitation came because it had been years since I had run HTC and I wondered if being in my 60s would affect my performance. A relay can be exhausting because of the lack of sleep combined with the hard effort of running fast three times over the course of 24 hours. I also wondered how it would compare to the years I ran with my close friends on a team we formed when we were all young mothers needing a break from our lives as moms and spouses. Those women remain some of my closest friends and I couldn’t imagine coming close to the experience I had with them since we ran together in at least 10 relays. But, I said yes, because I had missed the relay experience and was excited to go back and try it all over again. I am so glad I said yes. It was incredible and while my former team will always remain in my heart, getting to race and travel with another fabulous group of women was truly a gift.
Twelve individuals aiming for the same goal becomes a bonding experience like no other. Someone else’s hunger means just as much as your own. If someone needs to go to the bathroom you care as much as they do. It takes cooperation and thoughtfulness and, for me, the beauty of it is that I stay absolutely in the moment. When it is my turn to run, that is all I am thinking about, monitoring how I feel, assessing whether I can maintain the pace, getting to my teammates as fast as I can without going over the edge. Knowing I will be running again in a few hours means I need to pay close attention to my effort. It is a constant balancing act.
The night runs take on a surreal feeling as you watch your footing, other runners, and any obstacles that might come up. I encountered train tracks as well as many sidewalk curbs during one of my sections.
I had two runs in the dark and one in daylight for this year’s Hood To Coast and I am happy to report I loved every second of each run. I ran as hard as I could while appreciating the freedom to run in the dark and not be afraid. Not something women can take for granted.
Each time I passed the baton (in this case, a bracelet that snaps onto your wrist), to Ally, I had a feeling of complete satisfaction. But, the running part of the relay is only a blip in a period of time that is like no other. It is the ‘in-between’ times that really matter. Running is the easy part. Getting to the next transition area, making sure your teammates have what they need, and all of the details that come up necessitates being present in mind and body. In a relay, you aren’t just managing yourself and your own needs but also taking notice of your team. Different things become priorities at different times. When a runner finishes a very hot leg, we need to make sure she gets fluids right away; if someone is having stomach distress we need to help her figure that out. Because if one runner goes down it affects the whole team.
BRR 50+ Super Masters team at the start of the 2023 Hood To Coast Relay
After a normal run, most people will cool down, maybe stretch, hang out, but in a relay you hop back in the van. Sometimes, there is a longer leg and you can take a moment to catch your breath, but for the most part, until your van has its ‘off period’, there is no cooldown time! For those of you unfamiliar with the format, each team has two vans that alternate the 36 total running legs. So once you have completed your six legs, the other van takes over and there are several hours before your van takes over again. Time takes on a different meaning and although there might be several hours to kill, it goes by fast and you barely feel like there is enough time before you are back running again.
Escorting the next runner to the start is also a crucial job and our team worked like clockwork as someone was always available to go to the start to see the next runner off, take their jacket or water bottle so they didn’t have to carry it, and then help the runner coming in get back to the van. Each transition area is chaotic as there are hundreds of teams with vans parked all over the place. If you didn’t have a teammate with you, it would be almost impossible to find your van.
Moving as efficiently as possible is key and this year we were lucky to have two spouses sign on to be our drivers, Gerard (Marcey’s husband) and Mike (Mako’s) made the journey as smooth as could be. Not having to drive during a relay is the ultimate luxury and I know because every other relay I have done, we have had to share the driving and navigation. In the middle of the night, when you’re sleep-deprived and exhausted from running hard, mistakes are easy to make. In the past, I have missed exchange points and also gotten lost. So, many thanks go out to Gerard and Mike and we have already commissioned them for next year!
When your only goal is to reach the finish line as fast as possible, things that we usually worry about, like showers and a full meal, fall by the wayside. It is a reminder that there are very few things that are so important that you should cause people to be inconsiderate. Kindness and caring within a team and between teams is something I have always experienced in relay races. One example of this happened to me during the late night hours of the race when I was wandering through the transition area with teams either resting or getting their runner to the exchange point. It was 3 am and I was slated to start my next run at about 5 am. I wanted a cup of coffee and I wandered over to the start area thinking there might be some available. Often races provide free coffee, but in this case, it cost $2 which I did not have. Another runner was in line ordering coffee as I asked if they only took cash (I was thinking Venmo!) and as he took note of me wrapped in my Kenyan Masai blanket, said he’d buy me a coffee. It was such a simple gesture, but it meant a lot in that moment.
My team also took the time to take care of each other and, as a result, we ran fast and won our division, Supermasters Women (over age 50), and came away feeling empowered, happy, and bonded for life.
To my teammates: Chris, Lesia, Michelle, Gaelle, Erin, Mako, Lydia, Ally, Kate, Stephenie, and Marcey, thank you and I can’t wait until next year.