If you missed my previous Reach the Beach posts, here they are:
- Last-Minute Relay Preparations
- New Balance Factory Tour & Team Dinner
- Reach the Beach Relay: 7:30 AM – 4:00 PM
- Reach the Beach Relay: 4:00 PM – 1:00 AM
- Reach the Beach Relay: 1:00 AM–11:30 AM
Ok, so where did we leave off? Oh, right, Sarah was being chased by a banana.
Once Sarah finished her leg, Van 1 was completely finished with their part of the relay and Van 2 started their third and final legs.
My final leg of the relay was killer. It was only 5.85 miles, but check out the elevation:
Holy hill at the end! It was brutal. The super warm, sunny weather didn’t help either, but I survived, and I was greeted by the most enthusiastic cheering section at the end of my leg.
Apparently, there were some shenanigans going on while I was running!
Almost there!
Last push!
Done! Hooray!
Monica was up next for her final leg.
And then Theodora.
Theodora looked great during her leg.
It finished on an incline, but she dominated it.
Elizabeth was next!
And then Anne!
Anne’s route was really pretty!
Once Anne finished, it was down to our final runner: Ashley!
She cruised through her leg!
FYI: There are no water stations on the course, so we carried water with us on our runs or our teammates brought us some if we needed it. We also went through a ton of water (24 bottles in just one leg), so be sure to pack tons if you decide to do a relay.
Ashley’s final leg was 7.12 miles, so we snapped a bunch of pics while we waited for her to finish. I mean, isn’t that what bloggers do?
Photo credit: Jack at pixelwiremedia.com / rtbrelay.com
With Ashley only a couple of miles from the finish, we drove to meet the rest of our team. Reunited at last!
We reached the beach!
Just before Ashley was about to arrive, we gathered together and made an arch with our arms for her to run through and then we all ran with her to the finish line. It was so fun!
Hooray!!! We did it!
I’m so proud of our team!
After our team pic, Van 2 made a beeline for food (and beer). We were starving!
Boloco for dinner? Yes, please!
I don’t think I was ever so excited to see a burrito bowl!
And beer!
Feed me!
What an amazing 32 hours! (Our official time was 31:47:24, average pace of 9:30.) It was honestly one of the greatest experiences of my life, which might sound dramatic/cheesy, but I honestly mean it. (What? Running 16+ miles, not showering, and sleeping in a van doesn’t sound fun to you?) I’ve always wanted to do an event like this with a group of blog friends, and it was everything I expected and more. New Balance and Reach the Beach went above an beyond in all aspects to make it a truly unforgettable experience.
A HUGE thank you to New Balance (especially Kristen, Monica, and Nicole), Martin at Reach the Beach, and Team Off Balance! I can’t wait to do another Reach the Beach!
{ 50 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Tina,
Congrats on RTB!! It is so much fun, I am psyched for the NH edition in September
Question for you…what did you use and where did you buy whatever it was that you wrote on the van windows with, and did it wash off well???
Thanks!
Jeanne
They were “window crayons” from Crayola and they worked awesome. They washed right off with baby wipes!
Thank you!!
This makes me SOOOOO excited to do Ragnar and H2C this summer. Can’t wait!
Not gonna lie, that shot of you all crossing the finish line together brought tears to my eyes.
Gah! I miss Boloco so much! I ate it all the time in college and make a point to get it every time I’m back in the city!
What an awesome experience! I’d love to be a part of one of these someday!
That sounds like such an amazing experience! And Santa Claus AND a banana? Looks like my kind of race!
That looks like such an amazing experience. Congratulations! And those elevations for your 5.85 miler look killer. Holy hill is right!
5 Days later and I still feel all giddy inside when I read one of our recaps!!! Want to do it again!!!
Haha! Me too!
What an amazing experience! I loved reading each of your recaps. Such an accomplishment for you and your teammates – congrats!
Congrats to you all! What an amazing job!
That running banana is hilarious!! Looks like a great race, i still haven’t run any races, but your posts inspire me to sign up for one!!
Congratulations! Looks fun and super tough! At least it was sunny
That looks like such a fun race! I really want to do a relay now!!!
Hi Tina,
I’ve been following your blog for a while now (which is a vague way of saying I stalk your every move thanks to your super engaging posts), and I just wanted to let you know that not only are your posts entertaining and informative, but also very inspiring. I just completed my first half marathon a few weeks ago, and now, thanks to your Reach the Beach Relay series, I’m pestering friends to do one with me.
So here’s a big thanks for all of the food, running, health, beer and lifestyle posts. I look forward to reading every day!
Courtney
Awww, thanks for the sweet comment! Congrats on your half!
Ahh Horseneck, my favorite beach!
It’s obvious from the huge ass smiles on everyone’s faces that you had a blast! I think RTB can expect a lot more participants in their next races!
Oh my gosh, we had SO much fun! I really hope readers sign up for RTB!
I would totally love to sign up for something like this, but don’t know if I could convince enough friends to do it with me. Not all of them have swallowed the running kool aid yet.
That is SOOO cool! I am proud of all you guys
Way to go!
What an amazing accomplishment
And looks like it was a great time!
Great job Tina!
That sounds like SO much fun! Grueling but incredibly awesome
Looks like an amazing time! Congrats to you all!
Yay, Horseneck! That’s “my” beach!
I really enjoyed your relay posts Tina! It looks like a great fun time, and some great fun people. I am walking a half marathon in June and the part I’m most looking forward to is that three of my dear friends are walking with me. We all live far apart so it is a great chance for us to spend time and catch up while doing something awesome! Congratulations to you and your team!
That sounds fun! Good luck!
Congratulations!!
I know this is off topic. But last night I made the Mexican Beef Quinoa skillet dish and I used it as the stuffing for stuffed peppers. So good and so filling!
Yay! I love that recipe! So glad you liked it!
Love all of your recaps!! It looks like you had an incredible time!
So FUN!! You make me want to run a relay now!! I just need to find 11 other running/blogger friends!!
This recap is so awesome to read! I would love to do one of these some day. And my sister in law ran the race with her company (and she’s friends with Patricia) and out of allll the teams, hers came in just before you guys. Too funny.
Nice! Are you running the R2R on Sunday?
@Tina: I am! I’m running the 5 mile. And I have the whole day off so hopefully a beer can be grabbed afterwards!
That looks like it was a lot of hard work {especially that crazy hills!} and a lot of fun! I may have to try this one day
So much fun! You should def try it sometime!
You go girls!
The burrito bowl looks awesome! I’m going to have to try it!
Thanks for sharing all these super fun posts!
Who won the relay? I wonder if people really race it for the prize or just for a fun experience? I am sure the winners were hardcore and wanted nothing to do with Santa or a banana!
Sounds like you had a blast!
this race looks like so much fun! We have something like this in Chicago and Madison. It’s an overnight relay between the two cities. I’d love to get a bunch of people together to do this one year.
That looks like SUCH an amazing experiance! I watched the video on Sarah’s youtube channel and I was just blown away at how dedicated all you ladies were. It takes some serious strength to do something as intense as that! Way to go.
Btw I love that banana costume that person was wearing – so adorable!
I didn’t realize someone got a picture of me finishing! I love it!!!! So much fun. Fingers crossed on the video entry!
I absolutely love your running jackets! so cool – you know where to get one?
Thanks! Newbalance.com might sell them!
This looks awesome! I am doing my first relay this year. Thanks for the great tips!
I saw where the Hood to Coast is on your bucket list. It’s amazing! I’m not a runner but there is a Spark People HTC team and this will be my 3rd year participating. 1st year I was a navagatior in the 1st van. Last year I was a volunteer (any teams with a local runner need to have 3 volunteers) at the start (Mt Hood is amazing in the early hours of the morning). This year I’m a volunteer at the finish in Seaside. I can’t wait. It’s such an amazing relay race. A movie came out last year about it. Have you seen it?
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