Spreadin' Patriotism from Woodstock to the Bronx

Ragnar Relays are, as advertised, an all-night party on wheels. And when you're able to do the race with a group of fun friends, you can bet it'll be unforgettable. The Woodstock-to-the Bronx Ragnar was excellent, and our team tore it up!The Patriotic Potomac Pacers made a name for themselves in this race. We were known for our team spirit/patriotism, awesome wrist bands and headbands, sweet tattoos, and epic teammate handoff routine.Though we ran hard, we also took time to have fun. Or maybe I should say that though we had fun, we also took time to run hard. haha Here's a little frolicking in the fields, indicative of the level of fun we brought to the table.This is where we slept during the night. Gotta love taking a nap (that's really all you can call those 3 hours) in the outfield at a city park. Better than sleeping in the car, right?

Running all night changes the game a little bit. Athletes make wrong turns, wearing a headlight and fluorescent vest has a different feel to it, and you never know what critters you might come upon when you're alone on the open road with a small headlight and the moon to light your way. I think all of our runners came away with a fun story or two.

The Patriotic Potomac Pacers had a great race, in terms of fun and athletic prowess. As a team, we crossed the finish line at Central Park in the Bronx with a finish time of 25:08:07 (yes, that's 25 hours of straight running). Plus, we took 16th place overall, out of 64 teams. And we came in 2nd in the open mixed division (26 teams).

I would proudly run this race, or any race, with the Patriotic Potomac Pacers again. USA! USA! USA!!!