Whether you're a competitive ultrarunner looking for a challenge or an everyday runner looking for a good time, the Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back has something for you. This 188-mile adventure through the beautiful hills and valleys of Utah is the state's largest race—and the nation's second largest relay event behind the historic Nike Hood to Coast.
More: Inside the Ragnar Relay
What's Ragnar?
Ragnar, the race's namesake, was a legendary 9th century Viking who lived by his own rules.
"He was a pirate, a conquerer, a wanderer," said Ragnar Relay co-founder, Tanner Bell. "He was just an all-around bad mamajama, and (he) embodies the spirit of the race... It's really just an overnight adventure party with 12 good friends. There's a Ragnar inside everybody and out here we're just unleashing that Ragnar and letting them go crazy."
And go crazy they do. Picture the costume-filled fun of Bay to Breakers meets a 36-leg, (roughly) 200-mile relay that lasts for about 24 hours. Each member of a 12-person team runs three course legs, ranging in degree of difficulty and distance—three to eight miles each. Ultrarunners looking to push the envelope can compete in teams of six.
More: Bring Fun Into Your Run—Wear a Costume
Add in a couple of team cars, night running, a bottle opener finisher's medal, and you've got yourself the recipe for a Ragnar. The series breaks it down as simply: "Run. Drive. Sleep? Repeat."
The Ragnar Relay car
Wasatch Back—The Original
Growing up in Utah, Ragnar Relay co-founder, Dan Hill, remembers routing local races with his dad, Steve, at an early age. As an avid runner, Steve always had a pipe dream to put on a race in Utah. In 2004, Hill and childhood friend, Bell, made the dream a reality by staging the first Wasatch Back Relay, named after the beautiful Utah landscape it runs through.
More: Team is the Theme at Adventure Races
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