Ragnar Trail Relay - Zion
Hannah Fleming
Gooooood Morning Ragnarians!
Living in Utah and working for an industry leading trail running company, it didn’t take long to fall in love with the sport. After a month of running on the local trails, I knew I wanted to sign up for a race and start training. With Salomon being the title sponsor for the Ragnar Trail Series, this was the perfect place to start.
The details.
What is Ragnar? Ragnar is a relay race, with anywhere from 4-12 team members (trail races: 4-8, road races: 6-12)
Location? There are races ALL over the country. We ran the Ragnar Trail Zion at Zion Ponderosa Ranch race.
What were the course distances? Green (Easiest) 3.5 miles + Yellow (Harder) 3.9 miles + Red (Hardest) 7.3 miles = 14.7 Miles total
What was the course like? The terrain was mostly packed sand and direct, with some rocks. This course had challenging elevation climbs.
What was Ragnar Village like? The village had lots of activities – massages, food, food demoes, movies, areas to stretch, photo booths, and more!
What was the camping like? There are a few options for camping.
1. Reserve a spot ahead of time - these are traditional camp sites
2. First-come first-serve - camping in a large field
Favorite part? Running a relay with friends, and the beaUTAHful course.
Not-so-favorite part / hardest parts?
Running in the dark! – My headlamp was not very strong, which made running through the night difficult.
Volunteering - Now hear me out, I love volunteering, and think it's important. BUT, I don't love walking around in the heat for hours fulfilling a volunteer shift before running. TIPS: sign up for a Thursday night, Friday early morning volunteer shift
Important gear?
Strong headlamp / ex. Black Diamond Storm
Trail shoes / Ex. Salomon Sense Pro 2
GPS Watch / Ex. Suunto Spartan Sport Wrist HR
Good socks / Ex. Smartwool Running Socks
Anti-chaf / Ex. Body Glide
External Batteries / Ex. Goal Zero Products
KT Tape
Electrolyte Mix / Ex. Nuun
Lanterns & Flashlights / Ex. Goal Zero Lighthouse
Make sure to bring things to help you recover! Ex. KT Tape, Foam rollers, Lacrosse ball,
Our camp table / lighting / charge station
Would you run another Ragnar?
YES! They're tiring, and make for a long weekend, but are fun and challenging!