Nothing drives a person quite do much as being told that you probably can’t do it. And I’m not going to sugar coat it, Ragnar Tahoe was not easy for me, but I did it. It hurt, it was steep, it was hard as hell. And in the end I’m so happy and proud that I completed the race.

I went in scared to death. I feared running on trails in the dark (ended up being my favorite loop!) and I feared failure. Just full on failure. Somewhere deep inside I knew I’d have a panic attack. When it didn’t happen on my first loop, it gave me hope.

Running at night wasn’t nearly as bad as I’d thought it would be. I learned that my cadence is perfect for singing Jingle Bells. Don’t judge, when it is just you, the dark, and the unseen bears waiting to eat you, you do what you can to entertain your brain for 6+ miles. The views from the top were spectacular. There was just enough moonlight to see the dark outline of the mountains.

My roughest loop was the last loop in the morning. Another 6-ish mile run, but this was almost entirely hiking. The first 4 miles were uphill and I’m eternally grateful for my hiking poles. We had to cross snow and climb some significant sections. One had a rope for pulling yourself up! The views were spectacular though!!! My body was already tired from the previous miles, climbs, and lack of sleep and I had a few tough moments. Very happy my friend Shane was there to keep my spirits up!

I’m so proud of my accomplishment. I did it.

And now, in no particular order… Photos from the race!