Our Epic Relay Experience

Yes, we named our trip this past summer the "epic" trip, but this recent experience that we just had really WAS called The Epic Relay! I promise!

I'm not into running, like, at all. So when my brother-in-law proposed the idea a few months ago that we should form a family team for the Epic Relay, I was all.... yeah... right! I'll run just as soon as you read P and P and join me for book club!

He said he would, but... alas, I did not run.

However, three of my family members did, and the rest of us three volunteered at an exchange stop. And wouldn't you know, as it turns out, being part of this race/relay/running experience, even in my small little non-running way, was quite fun after all.

The idea, for those uninformed like me, is that you take 12 runners and they all run three different legs (between 3 and 9 miles each) and you go from Logan Utah to Jackson Hole Wyoming (a total of 205) running nonstop until you cross the finish line! There are six runners in two cars, and when your runners are running, you follow and "support" them. When it's the other car's turn, you sleep, eat and rest.

It was chaotic and confusing to prepare for it and, being first timers, to understand how it all worked. There's choosing who will run what, and how many miles each one can handle, and what van they are going in, and sleeping and food arrangements, and getting people to where they need to be when they need it, and training and hoping you don't die (literally) on the course, and etc and etc.

But the actually race was amazingly awesome and inspiring. So, I thought I'd share a few pictures here, in case you missed them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

Son, Dev, started the race as Runner 1 at 5:15 am Friday morning.

Katie, sister-in-law, was Runner 12 and had to wait nearly all day Friday for her turn.

Much of the runner's time is spent sitting/riding in the car.

Here's daughter Toto and son Drew at our volunteer
spot just after daughter JJ came in from her first leg.

Everyone decorates their cars!

This was my view for five hours while manning our stop,
between Preston and Soda Springs Idaho.
(Think Napoleon Dynamite!)

Here we are at exchange 10 waiting for the runners!
(We were early on in the race, there are 36 exchanges!)

My husband passing off the "baton" (actually one of those
slap bracelets) after his second run Friday evening.

And look at that sunset!!

Nephew, Brennan (only 13 years old), finishing up his third  and hardest leg,
running up the highway along the Snake River.

Here's various team members waiting in the hot hot
sun for their turn to takeover.

JJ, just about to finish her last and longest run.

The whole team running to cross the finish line!
(at Teton Village near Jackson Hole)

The team at the finish line.
(Two of the runners hauled their little kids with them
the whole race! The babysitter fell through!)

And my runners!