Cape Cod Relay Race Recap

If there was one word I could use to describe the 2011 Cape Cod Relay it would be – CRAZY. From the moment Tina volunteered (without hesitation!!) to fill in for our teammate who had somehow managed to tear her quad the night before the relay, to the moment I finally returned back home, a full 60 hours after leaving my house on Friday morning (the relay is supposed to take around 24…and I live only 2 hours from the finish line), it seemed like one thing after another wasn’t going as planned. But then again – when it comes to relays, does it ever??

I know I wax poetic about relays all the time, and that by now you may have a sense of what went on from both Becky and Tina‘s recaps. So this time, I figured I’d mix it up a little bit and sprinkle in some Relay Truths throughout. Because after 5 of these things, you’d think I’d have discovered a couple…

13 Relay Truths about 13 Relay’s 2011 Cape Cod Relay

My day started out a little after 4:00am on Friday. I rolled out of bed, packed up my stuff, gathered up EC and the dog, and headed north to pick up Miss BeckOnTheRun. Relay Truth #1: Sleep is over-rated. I maybe got 3 – 4 hours of sleep on Thursday night and knew I’d be lucky to get that on Friday as well. Yet I was expecting my legs to be able to knock out 18 miles in less than 24 hours. It’s amazing what your body can do when you put your mind to it (okay, so maybe the caffeine helped too).

We met up with the rest of the Kenyan JV Team at Borderland State park in Easton, MA and made the final preparations for the start. Relay Truth #2: Nothing beats a cool team name. Our name was super cute, and definitely a huge improvement over some of the names I’ve run under in years past (hello Committed Players!), but there were some extremely creative ones out there. Some a little dirty, some super quirky and some that just made you want to root for the team, even though they were complete strangers. Similarly, Relay Truth #3: A well-decorated van beats being able to run fast. Plus it makes things exponentially more fun.

Due to a little mis-calculating on the part of our Captain, the KJV’s had the earliest start time. This little detail, plus some poor planning on the relay’s end, would come back to haunt us throughout the entire race. But in that bright and early morning, none of us had any idea of those later frustrations. We lined up with the rest of our wave, ready to run (for more detail about how relays work, please see this post). Relay Truth #4: Even though it means you’ll be the first to use the porta-potties, don’t grossly over-estimate your team’s average pace. You will probably regret it.

Christine took off and almost immediately pulled ahead of the other teams. We screamed, we cheered, and we got to the next checkpoint, where I got ready to run.

The First Legs

My first leg started off at Memorial Park Beach in Sharon, MA. Growing up, I spent many weekends biking by Lake Massapoag alongside my parents as they did their long runs. When I got older and finally started doing long runs of my own, this lake marked the furtherest I had ever run from my house and back. To say it’s a place full of memories is an understatement.

Christine came into the transition point sprinting at top speed, and I took off. Right out of the gate, another runner was at my heels. So I kicked it into high gear and never looked back.

I ran through familiar streets, loving every minute. The morning air was the perfect temperature for a run, and as I ran through my old towns, I reminisced about high school days and runs of long ago. Relay Truth #5: as much as I love running through the mountainous scenery of VT and NH, there is something pretty darn amazing about running through familiar streets of your childhood.

Leg 1: 5.8 miles in 39:59 (7:01/mile)

I passed off to EC (as I seem to so often do during these relays) who took off for his leg.

It was during EC’s leg that we realized something was not right. First, the van couldn’t find the transition point because there weren’t any signs anywhere. Then, we arrived to find an open field with locked porta-potties and no transition set up. We were running too fast for the relay.

But the show relay must go on. So EC handed off to Esa, our 4th runner (who luckily was able to make her way out of the field without signs to guide her), who then handed off to Tina. Before Tina had even finished her run, however, we realized we were in trouble. While Tina was running, I got a text that marked the beginning of a weekend of frustration:

We got info that if you get here before 12:30 that we will have to wait for 2 hours before we can go.

Just the words every runner wants to hear….if you keep running at the rate you’re running, you’re going to force your team to take a penalty. Poor Tina was none-the-wiser. She kept up her speedy pace, only to get to the hand off to find that Becky was nowhere in sight.

At this point, it was a little before 10:30 in the morning. Becky had 2 full hours to run 7 miles. To say the hand-off was anti-climactic would be an understatement.

Becky set off to walk run her leg, knowing that even if she took it nice and easy, we’d have to wait around for a full hour before the first runner in Van 2 was allowed to take off. (I should add that we were in first place at this point, and continued to hold that place through the first transition point. The glory was short-lived, but it sure felt good!)

Good thing there was a Dunkin’ Donuts close to the Van Transition point. Relay Truth #6: Not only is coffee an amazing substance, but iced coffee can be just as hydrating as water (to a tired runner, that is)

And good thing we also are pretty good at amusing ourselves to pass the time. Relay Truth #7: Coordinating race shirts + bondi bands make you run faster.

In my dreams, I am a Kenyan

At 12:30 on the dot, Becky finally crossed the transition line (a minute earlier and we would’ve faced a 2-hour penalty) and Van 2 took off. It was our turn to fill up on real food and get some much-needed rest.

The Never-Ending Wait

The next cut-off point was at 7:20pm, which meant that no matter how fast Van 2 ran their legs, we would have a full 7 hours to wait. I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t starting to get annoyed by this point. We weren’t the only team being held back. In fact, most of the teams we started with, as well as a few that had started later and caught up, were facing the same issue. Even though I knew we weren’t in it to win it, there is something so annoying about trying your hardest and then being forced to sit around and wait longer because of it. It ruined the momentum of the entire race. Relay Life Truth #1: I am competitive.

After more than my fair share of complaining to anyone who would listen, we settled down to wait. While some of the team chose to spend the time catching up on sleep, the three crazy blogger ladies ate, chatted, and ate some more. Relay Truth #8: You are resting for much longer than you’re actually running, and sometimes that resting part can be the hardest.

Also, peanut butter filled pretzels are a gift from heaven

Relay Truth #9: It is impossible to keep a van filled with 6 runners and their gear clean for more than one hour.

The Second Legs

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of waiting, it was our turn to take off again. As Christine started us off on our night-time legs, I scarfed down a bagel + PB and got ready to run again. (sometime during our long wait, my camera decided to keel over and die. So the rest of these pictures are thanks to Becky & Tina)

My legs were feeling surprisingly good (not as stiff as they often feel during this part of the race) and I couldn’t wait to get started again. My goal for this leg was to relax and run easy, enjoying every step of the way. We still had a deadline that we couldn’t finish before, so there was no need to race it.

Unfortunately, this leg was by far my least favorite leg of the race – and maybe of all time. I normally love the night-time legs. There is nothing like that feeling of flying through the darkness, of being out running while the world around you rests. It’s the leg that I normally find the most exhilarating. But instead of exhilaration, I just felt fear. My 7 mile leg followed Route 3A the entire way. It was 9:00 on a Friday night and traffic was out in full force. There was no sidewalk, and barely any shoulder to provide safety from cars that were speeding down the road. I often had to take refuge in ditches with unsure footing. And when I got honked at repeatedly by a huge truck barreling straight at me, and that was soon followed by a run-away car with one headlight and what sounded like several flat tires, I was done. I just wanted to get off that road. Fortunately, with about one mile left to run, another runner came up behind me. My only thought was to stay with him at all costs (safety in numbers, I told myself). My pace, which had been hovering close to 8:00′s for the entire leg,suddenly kicked up into the low 7:00′s. We commiserated about the awful route, and booked it in. Relay Truth #10: Runs on lonely country roads at night are way less scary than runs along a highway. Trust me on this one.

Leg 2: 7 miles in 53:46 (7:41/mile)

The rest of our van finished their legs without incident (in fact, I think everyone else really liked their night-time legs) and before we knew it, it was time to hand off to Van 2 again…after another hour wait, that is…. By this time, I was more than ready for some sleep. So we left Van 2 to wait for their start (sorry Van 2!) and headed down to the next Van Transition Point for a few hours of shut-eye.

The Third Legs

That night marked the most sleep I’ve ever gotten in a relay. And I loved every minute I got to spend stretched out on a bench in that messy van. Relay Truth #11: Sleeping in a van trumps sleeping outside. You don’t have to worry about wasting precious minutes setting up a tent, or getting cold because you are sleeping on the wet ground with no cover (ahem…EC).

The truth was, Van 1 had much shorter legs than Van 2. The transitions were not equally divided, so poor Van 2 got saddled with the heavy mileage. Between the 6 runners they ran over 100 miles, which means wimpy Van 1 didn’t exactly pull their own weight. And it also meant that not only were they running further, but they were resting for shorter periods of time. With our extra delay plus the extra miles the other van had to cover, Van 1 got about 4 hours of sleep – almost unheard of during a relay! And besides some half-asleep mumblings by chatty Becky at 4:00 in the morning (because it’s very important to tell your teammate about the location of that new frozen yogurt place in Providence as soon as you think of it), I actually slept pretty well. I woke up feeling tired and stiff, but with less of the I-hate-the-world-remind-me-why-I-signed-up-for-this-dumb-thing-again! feeling. Success.

Van 2 finished around 6:30 in the morning and because we were finally behind the cut-off times for the transition, our first runner was able to start right away. Speedy Christine flew through her 3 mile leg, and before I knew it, I was heading onto the Cape Cod Rail Trail for my third and final leg of the race.

The morning was sunny, the air was crisp and cool, birds were chirping, flowers were blooming, trees were budding…and I was in heaven. Usually I run the third leg in some sort of pre-caffeinated survival daze, but not this time. Maybe it was because of my extra rest, or maybe because the route was so amazingly beautiful, but this ended up being my favorite leg of the race! I picked up the pace, picked off the runners (or made “kills” as they say in relay talk) and wished the run would go on forever. Before I knew it, it was time to hand off to EC. I was done!

Leg 3: 4.95 miles in 35:17 (7:08/mile)

Am I crazy for wishing that the run was an even 5 miles? I like seeing even numbers on my watch.

The rest of the van must have been feeling the same excitement, because everyone did really well with their legs. Or maybe it was because we all knew the faster we ran, the sooner we could eat.

Esa tearing down the Cape Cod Rail Trail

We handed off to Van 2 with cries of “see you at the beach!” and went off in search of nourishment.

While Van 2 ran we brunched…

We beered…

…and we soaked up the sun.

Finally, 30 hours after taking off, Christy came around the corner. The Kenyan JV team ran across the finish line victorious. We may not have won (or come even close) but we were done! And it was time to rest.

Well..after figuring out how to break our cars out of a locked park, evading RI prostitutes, and chasing down run-away keys that is… But that’s a tale for another day….

Relay Truth #12: There is nothing like spending 30 hours in a van with other runners who are crazy enough to do an overnight relay for fun. You develop an instant connection.

Relay Truth #13: Relays are awesome. ‘Nuff said.

The Cape Relay was not without {more than} it’s fair share of speed bumps. I can’t even imagine the logistical nightmare it must be to plan one of these things. That being said, I was a little frustrated by the way 13 Relay handled everything. They were changing legs up until a week or so before the race. Normally teams plan which runners will do which legs based on their individual strengths – but it was almost impossible to do so in this case. On top of that, the amount of time the organizers budgeted for runners to complete their legs was way too much. Especially since they had shortened the legs without readjusting those times…and they seemed unable to adapt to the quicker than anticipated paces as they went. Part of this may have been the fact that it seemed like the relay was short on volunteers. During the first transition points, the same girl was literally following our team from point to point, setting up the transition areas as we got there. In order to avoid these issues in the future, Cape Relay needs to figure out a way to get more volunteers – or at least make better use of the ones they have.

Do I regret that I ran the relay? Absolutely not. Like I said, relays in and of themselves are awesome. And I’m so thankful to have had the experience. But to be perfectly honest, I probably will not do Cape Relay again. Once was enough for me. I hate to sound cynical, but these things are very expensive. I’ve done enough at this point to start being a little picky about it. While I would recommend this relay as a first one for runners who are nervous about the difficulty of some of the more popular mountainous relays, I wouldn’t recommend it for seasoned relayers. If you want to run an East Coast relay, run GMR and then do RTB. There’s nothing like ‘em.