Runs in the Family

Hey there folks! Sorry for the discrimination, but this post is mostly for those on the Larson side of Bryan's family. For those who aren't a part of the family, read this post anyway, because I might need your help after all.

So some of you have heard of a little race called the Wasatch Back. It's a 188 mile running relay race that goes from Logan, UT to Park City, UT. There are 36 sections of the race to run, and 12 people on a team, so each person on the team runs 3 legs of the race which range from 3-8 miles in distance. It starts on a Friday morning and ends the next afternoon, which means that the race doesn't stop. There is always somebody running. The team splits up into 2 vans with 6 runners in each van. While one van is out running, the other van is eating, and resting waiting to start their legs. You can read a little bit more about it HERE. It's an extremely fun, demanding, and beautiful race.

Anyway, the point of all of this is that I've run this race twice with a company sponsored team and had a blast. Each year I see several teams that consist of family members. As much as I love my co-workers, those family teams seem to have a lot more fun! I thought that it might be a really fun experience if we got a Larson family team together to run next year. I know that in order to get a team of 12 together, it would mean many of you would have to travel, but let me assure you, it would be worth the trip. You could make a family vacation out of it (although, you would want to make sure the race was at the end of your vacation because you won't be able to move when you're done). Here are the details:

Date: June 18th & 19th, 2010
# of Runners needed: 12
# of Volunteers needed: 3-4
# of 6 Seater Vehicles needed: 2
Estimated Cost per person: $150-$185
Type of Running Experience Required: NONE!

Let me explain a few of the details. First, the estimated cost covers race registration fee, gas for vehicles, drinks, snacks for the road, and team shirts. Team shirts are an expense that we could do without if we wanted to reduce costs, but the other costs are absolutely necessary. These costs are also assuming that two of you will volunteer a vehicle for use and we won't have to rent two vans. For those of you who would need to travel, this cost is obviously just the cost to participate in the race. Costs to travel to UT would not be covered.

We need 12 runners, but also 3-4 volunteers. Volunteers ARE NOT REQUIRED TO DO ANY RUNNING, but would help out with the race (there are over 600 teams that participate each year in this event) by attending to exchange points. If you'd like to participate, but don't feel like you could run, volunteering is a great alternative.

Each team needs two vehicles to shuttle the runners around. The vehicles need to be able to seat 6 people each, as well as their gear (sleeping bags, coolers, duffle bags, etc). If you would like to participate, and have such a vehicle that you would be willing to donate for usage, please let me know (minivans and large SUV's work great!)

Now for the testimonial: I've run this race the last two years and had an absolute blast both times! Barrett ran last year, and Scott runs a very similar race in Oregon. If the three of us can do it, anybody can! The venue itself is really more like a huge community party. At each exchange there are vendors handing out free stuff, live bands playing, and sometimes free massages! It's very well organized. At the major exchanges they have places to sleep, meals you can buy, and even places to shower. I've seen everyone participate from veteran runners with several marathons under their belt to people who are running for the first time in an organized race. The legs vary in difficulty and there is something for everyone. With that said, no matter how fit you are, this race will push you to the limits. I got 3 times as much sleep this year as I did last year, which was only three hours, so the utter exhaustion is an obstacle in and of itself. The feeling you get, both individually and as a team, is well worth the effort though. Running the last 150 yards together with all other 11 people on your team will put you on Cloud 9. I know that we would have a ton of fun, and probably do pretty darn well. We won't beat the BYU Men's XC team (who finished in just over 17 hours this year, an average of 5 min 42 second mile times), but we won't be scraping the bottom of the barrel either. Here are a few pics from this years race, as well as a pretty good YouTube video. The pictures are from my team, but the video isn't:

So, now that you know what you'd be getting yourself into, let me know if you want to participate. Right now this is at the point of "a great idea" and I want to see what kind of response there is, so no money is required right now, however, if you're interested, your response is required now. The race fills up fast, and you don't have to pay as much for early registration. If I have enough people firmly commit, I'll email you and let you know this thing is for sure. I do have to put this caviat out there though, PLEASE don't volunteer yourself unless you're positive that you'll be able to make it. It's absolutely essential that once you say you can do it, you make sure that you can be there. 11 other people will be relying on you.

Email me at quackerhead1@gmail.com if you're crazy enough to do this, or if you have questions.

Also, I know that not everybody keeps up with our blog, so I'm also going to be sending this invite out on Facebook and via email, but please spread the word to your immediate family members. If you aren't a member of the Larson family, but would like to participate, feel free to email me. I'm opening this up to family members on a first come, first served basis, but if I don't get enough family members, I'll start opening it up to friends as well. I'll keep your names on the list and let you know what happens.