We stopped at the Golden Nugget in Vegas for buffet (staying true to our name). We even got our picture with a Dog The Bounty Hunter look alike. Chuck Norris and George Michael (look a likes) were also at the buffet. I guess they were having a "red carpet event."
This is us: FKAWATT (fat kids always win at teeter totter).We made frequent stops along our road trip. This Sinclair dinosaur was just to tempting so me and Jamie had to jump on. I have to say it is fun and refreshing to loosen up and be a kid once in a while. But, I better never catch my kids doing this! ;) I wanted to start a movement..Protest gas prices and ride a Sinclair Dinosaur.
Once we got to Wickenburg, where the starting line was, we checked out where the race would begin. This sign was right at the entrance.
Todd Pay is the second one on the left. He got the team together and sponsored us, donating his vans and covering registration, and probably a lot more.I worked with Jody when she was the young women's president, now I am yw pres, and Lynnzie, on the right, just got called to be yw pres last week in the 1st ward.
We stayed in a hotel about 45 minutes or so from Wickenburg so we got up about 4:00 a.m. to get to the starting line and take the safety course. They were a lot more cautious because last year a support guy for a runner was killed crossing the road bringing water to his runner.
It was colder then I had expected so I wore my lucky Dash in the Dark jacket.
One of the contestants from The Biggest Looser was announcing and I evidently had a lot of adrenaline pumping being runner #1 so when he asked for some cheers I did a prep and went to do a high kick. I kicked so hard my other leg shot right out from under me and I landed on my butt. I believe it was right after this picture was taken and Josh, who was videoing, got it all on camera. It was hilarious and luckily I didn't brake my leg and was able to run my first leg.
You are required to wear reflective gear and a head light and butt light until a certain time. On this relay all of my runs were in these hours where reflective gear and lights were required. I have grown to really enjoy night runs so this was great.
Van 1: Josh Wilkey, Me, Mark Wardle (Dr. Wardle), Syndi Wilkey, Jody Green, and Lynnzie Hansen
My first leg was 8.9 miles uphill. It felt great. I ran with the beautiful sunrise of Arizona.
My good friend, Jody. She is amazing! She has diabetes and told us that usually she gets her sugars up in the 300's before she starts her run and by the time she is done it can be as low as 30. What a challenge to deal with that. This is hard enough as it is without a medical challenge. We were all a little worried about her but she did so well. She is an inspiration.
The year lwas left on from Vegas Ragnar. It is 2011.
We did a timer shot to get everyone in the picture. Todd's brother Ken came along to help drive. He said he would definitely run the next time. This one of the few times we met up with van 2. They were on their way to the van exchange.
Gotta love the volunteers. A lot of them get into it and are so nice. This one even did a hula hoop contest for the runners waiting at the exchange.
This team is "Old as Dirt." I met one of the guys on my run and he was so friendly and we kind of cheered each other on throughout the race. For being old as dirt they did pretty well!
So this was the time we were supposed to be sleeping. Usually I can sleep anywhere but there was an extremely loud bird and I could not go to sleep. In fact, I pretty much had insomnia the whole time, but I expected that with these relays you are lucky to get a couple of hours of sleep.
One thing that was a little disappointing with this relay is most of the teams that started with us were faster then expected. Usually this is because of not putting accurate 10K times on your registration. In this case it was really the fault of the people in charge. ALL of the teams were early, which means they started us to early and we could of got another hour of sleep. So, they told us not to let our runner come in until 6:00 p.m. or we would be held back and penalized. This was frustrating and we figured out later that other teams must of bypassed this exchange because when I was finally able to go, after they told me to go the wrong way and added another mile to my run, I should have been one of the first runners and there ended being runners ahead of me. I really didn't know which way to go because it wasn't clearly marked. Luckily I had the same pace as a guy from Utah Corrections and we ran together the whole second leg which helped it go by so much quicker. Second leg was 7.5 miles.
It was always a little chilly waiting at the exchange but I was so thankful I took off my jacket because after I got running it was perfect. When I got back to the van I felt like I was in a sonna until I cooled down. That is the challenge with a relay, running, then crawling in the van and getting cramped up and stiff, lack of sleep, and then running some more...So fun though!
Waiting for Josh as his support team. We could hear Coyotes barking and Josh said one ran right in front of him.
What a team! Great friends and lots and lots and lots of laughs!! My last leg was just 3.5 miles. They changed the exchange last minute because before it was almost 8 or 9 miles. I was disappointed it was over. My leg felt great which I was the most thankful for. It felt good not to be complaining about hurt knee or leg this time and just be able to run. I am ready for a half marathon for sure! I need to get pictures from the others at the finish line with our medals. It ended in Tempe, 200 miles total.
Mark is the one on the far right. He reminded me so much of my brother Jesse. They look a lot alike and he acted like Jesse. I couldn't believe the similarities. He was hilarious.
One of the contestants from The Biggest Looser was announcing and I evidently had a lot of adrenaline pumping being runner #1 so when he asked for some cheers I did a prep and went to do a high kick. I kicked so hard my other leg shot right out from under me and I landed on my butt. I believe it was right after this picture was taken and Josh, who was videoing, got it all on camera. It was hilarious and luckily I didn't brake my leg and was able to run my first leg.
You are required to wear reflective gear and a head light and butt light until a certain time. On this relay all of my runs were in these hours where reflective gear and lights were required. I have grown to really enjoy night runs so this was great.
Van 1: Josh Wilkey, Me, Mark Wardle (Dr. Wardle), Syndi Wilkey, Jody Green, and Lynnzie Hansen
My first leg was 8.9 miles uphill. It felt great. I ran with the beautiful sunrise of Arizona.
My good friend, Jody. She is amazing! She has diabetes and told us that usually she gets her sugars up in the 300's before she starts her run and by the time she is done it can be as low as 30. What a challenge to deal with that. This is hard enough as it is without a medical challenge. We were all a little worried about her but she did so well. She is an inspiration.
The year lwas left on from Vegas Ragnar. It is 2011.
We did a timer shot to get everyone in the picture. Todd's brother Ken came along to help drive. He said he would definitely run the next time. This one of the few times we met up with van 2. They were on their way to the van exchange.
Gotta love the volunteers. A lot of them get into it and are so nice. This one even did a hula hoop contest for the runners waiting at the exchange.
This team is "Old as Dirt." I met one of the guys on my run and he was so friendly and we kind of cheered each other on throughout the race. For being old as dirt they did pretty well!
So this was the time we were supposed to be sleeping. Usually I can sleep anywhere but there was an extremely loud bird and I could not go to sleep. In fact, I pretty much had insomnia the whole time, but I expected that with these relays you are lucky to get a couple of hours of sleep.
One thing that was a little disappointing with this relay is most of the teams that started with us were faster then expected. Usually this is because of not putting accurate 10K times on your registration. In this case it was really the fault of the people in charge. ALL of the teams were early, which means they started us to early and we could of got another hour of sleep. So, they told us not to let our runner come in until 6:00 p.m. or we would be held back and penalized. This was frustrating and we figured out later that other teams must of bypassed this exchange because when I was finally able to go, after they told me to go the wrong way and added another mile to my run, I should have been one of the first runners and there ended being runners ahead of me. I really didn't know which way to go because it wasn't clearly marked. Luckily I had the same pace as a guy from Utah Corrections and we ran together the whole second leg which helped it go by so much quicker. Second leg was 7.5 miles.
It was always a little chilly waiting at the exchange but I was so thankful I took off my jacket because after I got running it was perfect. When I got back to the van I felt like I was in a sonna until I cooled down. That is the challenge with a relay, running, then crawling in the van and getting cramped up and stiff, lack of sleep, and then running some more...So fun though!
Waiting for Josh as his support team. We could hear Coyotes barking and Josh said one ran right in front of him.
What a team! Great friends and lots and lots and lots of laughs!! My last leg was just 3.5 miles. They changed the exchange last minute because before it was almost 8 or 9 miles. I was disappointed it was over. My leg felt great which I was the most thankful for. It felt good not to be complaining about hurt knee or leg this time and just be able to run. I am ready for a half marathon for sure! I need to get pictures from the others at the finish line with our medals. It ended in Tempe, 200 miles total.
Mark is the one on the far right. He reminded me so much of my brother Jesse. They look a lot alike and he acted like Jesse. I couldn't believe the similarities. He was hilarious.Out to dinner, walking with some stiff calves, but still smiling!
left to right back row: Mark Wardle, Paul Nielson, Todd Pay, Steve, Josh Wilkey
Lynnzie Hansen, Debbie Harward, Syndi Wilkey, Me, Jody Green, Jamie Bailey, and Ken Pay
After dinner we soaked in the hot tub and planned the next relay. Wasatch Back and Sol Cal 2012!
The road was closed, because of bad weather, to Flagstaff so we were held up in Sedona for a little while and killed some time shopping. Josh came up with a fun game idea. Everyone had to find the best deal and only spend a dollar. I found two pair of underwear(50 cents a pair) for a dollar, marked down from $4.
Still staying true to our name we stopped at Sonic for a shake.
Well that's it! Four day get away. What a great time with really fun and good people. My dear husband took care of things at home once again so I could play. He is working in Death Valley and had to leave early Sunday. The kids went to Stake Conference with the neighbors and were so excited when I got home with souvenirs. My favorite was what I got Matt, a three-legged good luck pig. According to legend in South America people in the pueblo of Pomaire, Chile, famous for its pottery, have been giving three-legged pigs as good luck charms for longer than anyone can remember. This pig from neighboring Peru drives away evil spirits and attracts good fortune.
The road was closed, because of bad weather, to Flagstaff so we were held up in Sedona for a little while and killed some time shopping. Josh came up with a fun game idea. Everyone had to find the best deal and only spend a dollar. I found two pair of underwear(50 cents a pair) for a dollar, marked down from $4.
Still staying true to our name we stopped at Sonic for a shake.
Well that's it! Four day get away. What a great time with really fun and good people. My dear husband took care of things at home once again so I could play. He is working in Death Valley and had to leave early Sunday. The kids went to Stake Conference with the neighbors and were so excited when I got home with souvenirs. My favorite was what I got Matt, a three-legged good luck pig. According to legend in South America people in the pueblo of Pomaire, Chile, famous for its pottery, have been giving three-legged pigs as good luck charms for longer than anyone can remember. This pig from neighboring Peru drives away evil spirits and attracts good fortune.