Race Report for the Klondike Relay (a little late) (Read 471 times)

OK this race was on September 9th but I just haven't had a chance to rave about it. It goes from Skagway AK to Whitehorse YUKON and the total mileage is about 115 miles. There are 10 of us to share this relay and we started at 9:30 at night and finished at around 1:30 the next afternoon. Beautiful weather, great support (my team) and I did a little worse than my goal (sub 9 miinute miles for 12 miles) but better than I expected (10 minute miles for 12 miles). I finished in 9:36 minute miles which I was darn happy about considering you don't sleep much and you spend a lot of time supporting your group. My leg was at the very end through this gorgeous canyon with some steep hills and the sun was out. Now I am from Juneau where we train in 45 degree weather alot so 70 degrees was a bit too warm for me. I have now run the 1st 3 and the last 2 legs of this fun relay and I have the 5 middle ones to go. I am hoping to train for a marathon in 2007 and I want a cool one that takes place on trails. Any ideas?

That sounds really cool! I don't know much about how these relays work - spill some more details. Like ... how do the logistics work? Do you all cram into a van and drive from one checkpoint to another? I'm assuming you don't wait in the middle of nowhere all night until its your turn to run ... right? And how'd your team do, anyway? How many teams? And as an aside .... what's it like training in Alaska? And while you're at it ... give me a quick overview of your thoughts on Crustacean Endocrinology. Are you for it or against it? Can I take a pill if I catch it, or do I need a shot?

All good questions!!! You are funnier than I thought you would be based on your picture. There were 148 teams (I think) Ours came in 47th in the pack. Not bad for Crustacean Endocrinologists. Actually we are a team of 5 professors, 2 students, and a couple of computer geeks. We range in age from 24-48 (I am the oldest...but not the slowest). The race proceeds one leg at a time with the really fast runners starting at 11 pm and the slow ones starting at 7 pm. The winning team was "Take no Prisoners" and our team is called the Rhoad Scholars In 2000 we all crammed in a van and drove all night supporting the runner and making margaritas for the finisher but we never did that again. Now we break into 3 groups and while the first group is out the last drive to Whitehorse, sleeps, and gets up early to drive to the start of the 8th leg. The middle folks have the toughest time being up all night and running the longest legs (13.1 mile, 14.5 miles and 16 miles) But noone has never complained and its a trip to run at night. Plus sometiems there are northern lights. Of course sometimes there are hail storms too. Juneau has the best running trails and a great running community! If you are suffering from crustacean endocrinology...I would make the most of it! Better than shin splints