Spend a Thrilling Night on The Run: Ragnar Relays

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RUNNING APPROXIMATELY 200 MILES NONSTOP DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A GOOD TIME. But add in 11 of your friends to share the distance, two vans to carry supplies and maybe matching costumes, and you have an "adult slumber party." At least, that's how Tanner Bell, director of race development for Ragnar Events, describes his company's signature overnight relays.

What began as an experiment in Utah has now become a national network of all-night-long races, and this September, Ragnar is debuting its D.C.-area course. It's a 182-mile-long route that starts in Cumberland, Md., before weaving its way down the C&O Canal and culminating in a finish-line fiesta with live bands and tons of grub at East Potomac Park. (Registration opened yesterday. See here for info.)

The concept is fairly simple — sort of. Teams divide into two groups of six, and each takes over a van. At the start, Van One drops off a runner, then drives ahead to pick up him or her and drop off the second. This continues until leg seven, when the sixth runner gets a lift from Van One, and Van Two starts unloading its runners. Van one takes a breather, and then repeats the process at leg 13. Got it?

Each person runs three legs of about five miles each, and at least one leg is smack in the middle of the night, when flashlights are key.

"It's a party, but it's equal parts accomplishment," Bell says. And although it's undoubtedly challenging, it helps that the runners get breaks between their runs — anywhere from four to seven hours, depending on how quick their teammates are. "Beginning runners to marathoners can both run it, even on the same team," he adds.

Going for speed is the traditional way to snag a prize, but all competitors get technical T-shirts, and all finishers get medals. And even if you're not the speediest, you can earn accolades by showing spirit, decorating your vans, wearing absurd outfits (leather bustiers, anyone?) or picking a brilliant team name.

Naming is important to the Ragnar crew because of the process they went through to pick out their moniker. One of the founders had always called rugged folks "Ragnars" because he had known two rough dudes named Ragnar, Bell explains. "Then we found out that Ragnar was also the name of a ninth-century Norse king and wild man," he says. "That really fit into the spirit of the race."

Just skip the pillaging, OK?

Photo courtesy Ragnar Events