How to be the Captain of a Ragnar Road Race Team

I’d wanted to do a Ragnar road race for a few years, and I tried through social media, networking, and Ragnar apps to get on a team to no avail, so I finally decided the only way to assure I could run one was to form my own team.

I only know a few people who even run at all, and certainly not 11 of them, so I knew this was going to be a stretch. I learned that I could enter a “6-pack” team for the 2018 Great River race, and I thought there was a chance I could find 5 other runners to join me. The first two runners, friends of mine, signed on quickly. I recruited another I met at work. The last two took weeks to recruit, and I started to get pretty anxious about whether it would work out. I posted signs at health clubs, I posted on my own and the event Facebook pages, I asked every neighbor, coworker and friend I had to network. I even stopped strangers running on the street. Finally, through recruiting from team members, we got our last two members. Our team of six was matched by Ragnar with another team of six that we would see at the major exchanges.

The timing of the race was tough (Aug 17-18), landing just two days after an out-of-town 10-day family vacation and the day after moving our daughter back to college out of town (and getting home late that night), so I needed to be REALLY organized in advance.

My best organizational tips are here:

• Many teams rent big conversion vans for the race, but I didn’t want to. The whole pick up and drop off a rental van would be a bummer, and I wasn’t going to have the time given the schedule. We have a 2004 Toyota Sienna (“Big Charlie”) we’ve had since new- we can’t bear to part with it, and now it’s handy for the kids to drive. Big Charlie worked out very well for us- team members were able to drive to my house, we all piled in and drove to the start of the event together. Everyone had a comfortable seat, and it was very easy for team members to drive, unlike the big rental vans. It was a bit cramped, as it was more work for the runners in the back row to get in and out, and we had to really stack our belongings in the back cargo area, so you were always taking things out to get to other things. I had the van serviced a couple weeks before the race, and it did great. Get a power strip with multiple outlets that plugs into the car so many people can charge phones simultaneously.
• Team name: There are so many funny Ragnar team names. I did a search, and asked teammates, but nobody had an opinion so I went with my husband’s idea, Too Hot to Trot. Here are some of my favorite names I saw at the race:

What the hill?

Land of 10,000 aches

Finish wine

We've got the runs

Between a rock and a hard pace

Swoob and Swass

That's a terrible idea...what time?

A running joke

Hot mess express

Cirque du sore legs

Oh. My. Quad.

Rapid thigh movement

We thought they said rum

Never trust a fartlek

Sole mates
Premature acceleration
Your pace or mine?

•  I did a team budget that covered the team entry fee, the volunteer buy-out, gas, and the required safety gear (reflective vests, head lamps and flashing tail lights-I ordered these on Amazon). I collected $225 from each team member, which covered expenses and was a relative bargain compared to the teams that rented vans.
• Food and beverage: I had a small cooler for people to put their food and snacks, and gallon jugs of water in the van to refill our water bottles. People brought their own food, snacks to share, and we stopped for food along the way. If I were to do it over, I’d pack a bigger cooler just for drinks and to keep the bulk water cold, and more snacks with protein.
• Here are the supplies I packed for the team

Extra Batteries for headlamps

Big jugs of water

Body Wipes- for wiping up after runs

Car charger power strip

cleaning wipes for van

Cooler

Decorations for the van- markers

Flashing tail lights

Garbage bag/plastic bags

Hand sanitizer

Headlamps

Masking/Duct tape

Massage Roller/Stick

Note pad

Paper towels

Printed Race leg maps w/directions

Ragnar Race Bible printed

Reflective vests

Scissors

Stock of candy

Team member emergency contact info

Toilet paper

trivia/games/entertainment ideas

Ziplock bags- large, for sweaty clothes after each run

Bug spray

Sunscreen

Large table cloth we could hold up outside to allow a runner to change in private

• I gave team members a pack list:

Driver’s license

Credit or debit cards

Cash for food, etc.

Health insurance cards

Water bottle(s) and way to carry them running- CUPLESS COURSE

Travel mug- race director says there will be bulk hot beverage at some exchange points

Running shoes

Recovery shoes/flip-flops

3 sets Running clothes, undies and socks

comfortable between race/travel clothes

Running headlamp, if you have one, extra batteries

Rain gear (optional)

Hat

Toiletries, deoderant

Contacts & case, solution, or glasses

Chafing cream/spray or vaseline

Waterproof sunscreen

Lip balm/protector

Dryer sheet for stinky bags

Towel

Ibuprofen/Pain reliever

Blanket for any naps

Fuel belt/Race belt

Sunglasses

trivia/games/entertainment ideas for in van

MP3 players/headphones (optional)

Phone & chargers, external power sources

Race food – gels, bars, etc.

Race drinks (If wanted, other than water)

Snacks to share in van (optional)

It was HOT during the days, so a few of the runs were tough, but we ended up having a great time together- just as I had hoped!

The coveted window decal