Can you really ever describe a relay team experience? That sweet and sour journey of sleepless fun on the run? It only takes once to understand the indescribable experience of trying to survive the all-night and all-day van extravaganza. Since there are so many things to learn and to help your Wasatch Back Relay team run(double meaning implied) more smoothly here are some tips submitted by The 2009 Women’s 2nd place team Sole Sisters-Anna Judd, Caprice Schwarzwalder, Chris Perrins, Danielle Bauer, Marie Hunter, Summer Willlis, Holly DeMille, Jen Dunyon, Sue Turley, Missy Allred, Amy Welling and Angie Baird. Caution: none of the above individuals will either confirm or deny the validity of do’s or dont’s written in the middle of the night, before or after the 3rd leg, or whilst sleeping at the wheel.
DO’S
- Bring a change of clothes for each leg. Store them in a Ziploc plastic bag along with gel and whatever else you need for that leg.
- Eat right after each run leg. Start with liquid recovery and then eat solids.
- Shake your tamborine…A LOT!
- Jump in the creeks to ice your legs for recovery between legs.
- Cheer on ALL your teamates.
- Bring extra food and be sure to include salty foods, PB and honey, extra water, etc.
- Pee whenever, wherever. Porta-potties are a luxury.
- Bring lots of wet wipes and hand sanitizer.
- Bring ear plugs for the group mini-sleep session between van rotations.
- Support other teams and share your goods with the desperate unlearned ones.
- Use anti-chaffing cream (bodyglide, trislide, or chamois butter will all work!)
- Bring rain gear.
- Take random candids of your teammates.
- Keep track of your splits (how fast you ran each leg).
- Let the guys change your flat tire.
- Decorate your van.
- Run fast.
DONT’S
- Bring only 1 CD.
- Get a flat tire coming down Avon pass (but refer to #15 above if you do).
- Be late to your hand off. This does not encourage team unity.
- Eat salad for your recovery meal.
- Forget your toothbrush.
- Take “No, you can’t park here” for an answer.
- Cut the cops off, they WILL give you a ticket.
- Back up into reflector poles.
- Honk your horn in the middle of the night.
- Open your doors at night whilst on the side of the road.
- Give Chris your Zone bars!
- Throw up in the van. That is what roll down windows are for. And this does not build team unity either.