"I Pity da Po' Fool Who Don't Wasatch His Back!"

Several months ago, I was finding myself a little bored with life. Things were a little stagnant for me. I went to work on a normal Monday morning, turned my corporate, white computer on, checked my humdrum email, and much to my chagrin....I mean surprise, I discovered the nugget of adventure that I was needing to satiate my appetite for some excitement! The email said something like this: "Do you need to satiate your appetite for some excitement? Come run the Wasatch Back Relay! Do you enjoy running straight up the side of a mountain in the blistering Summer heat, staying up all night riding in a minivan with a group of your sweaty peers, then running again in the middle of the night, freezing your tucus off, just to do it all again the next day? Then this is for you!" I thought to myself, "Gee-willickers! That sounds like it's right up my alley!"

So I did it, I ran the Wasatch Back with a team sponsored by my company. The Wasatch Back is a 175 mile relay running race that stretches from Logan to Park City. You're traditionally on a team of 12 people who each run 3 legs of the race, each leg ranging from 3-7 miles long. (Unless you're particularly sadistic, then you run on a team of 6 people who run 6 legs each) The legs are as varied as the people running the race. They range from straight up and over a mountain, crossing rolling hills, or knee jerking descents. There is always someone from your team running, including through the middle of the night. There were over 500 teams running this year! Yes, there really are 6000 loonies living in Utah, and I'm one of them. The most insane part is that if you ask anyone who has done it, they'll tell you, "It's a blast!"

Anyone who has gotten into running at all will you tell you it's very much a love/hate relationship. Me personally, I hate every minute while I'm running, and love it when I'm not, and the Wasatch Back was no exception. My first leg was three miles up the mountain to Snow Basin, then cresting the top with another mile of downhill on other side, all with the blistering sun beating down on me. Number two was over beautiful rolling hills for 5 miles, at four in the morning in near freezing temperatures. My last and final leg was straight down a mountain for 7 miles into Park City, with an occasional monster uphill jaunt, just to humiliate me even further.

I've spared a lot of the details for sake of time, but included some fun pictures below. Realistically, I'll do it again next year, and the next year, and hopefully every year for several years to come. It was one of the most physically challenging things I've ever done, and because of that, one of the most rewarding. It's a lot of fun to be there with your team and all be experiencing the same pain and agony together. We are doing it next year, and non-employees are welcome to join the team if there's spots, and we're planning on two teams next year. So if there's anyone out there who happens to be high or in an altered mental state while reading this, you're more than welcome to join me next year!

The team at the starting line.

My first leg up to Snow Basin.
(No, I'm not walking....yet)

Just finished my first leg.
Only two more to go......

Starting my second leg at 4am.
Too bad I'm not also starting my second wind.

Enough said.

The team crosses the finish line at just over 31 hours.

It would have been so much more worth it if those were real gold medals.

My wife and baby came up to see us at the finish line! Hopefully Kallie will
be inspired to do similar insane things with her life.

I was blister free until my last leg. 7 miles of descent will really jam your
toes into the front of your shoe.

One of my teammates. I posted this one to remind myself that photography
is a hobby I can do after I have knee surgery from all this darn running.