2011 Florida Keys Ragnar Relay Part 4

12:30 PM: Townhomes on Windsor – Key West, FL

After a short 20 minute drive, we’ve meandered around Key West for an additional 20 minutes, trying to find our townhouse. Eventually, we squeeze the van up an alley and into the parking lot of the Townhomes on Windsor where their owner, Tim’s cousin waits for us. He shows us around and most of us rush to the showers while Daphne and Hunter empty out the van to organize the miscellaneous gear that’s been strewn about.

The showers in the Townhouse are borderline opulent, but the hot water heater has trouble keeping up with three simultaneous back to back showers. After my shower, I relax briefly on the deck as Daphne and Hunter walk straight into the pull fully clothed.

Soon, we receive a text message that Britt has handed off to Colette. I gather the team together and we walk a half mile to the finish line.

1:45 PM: The Southernmost Hotel – Key West, FL

The finish line is festive. The giant orange arch that we haven’t seen since the start back on Key Biscayne spans a pathway leading from the street to the beach. We watch several teams finish, their final runner rounding a corner from the sidewalk to be joined by the other members of the team so everyone crosses the line together.

We figure that we’ve got some time to kill so we turn in our orange saftey flags and sort out some problems we had with our Ragnar shirts. Soon, we get a text that Colette has handed off to Peter. It comes with the bad news that the “Fins” team passed Colette during her leg.

Hungry, and knowing we’ve got at least 40 minutes to kill before the finish, we head to a deli to grab some food.

2:40 PM: The Southernmost Hotel – Key West, FL

Back at the finish, we run into the members of the “Fins” team. The word from our teammates is that the “Fins” are looking tired and we’ve got a chance to catch them before the finish. Before our van 2 comrades arrive, however, we spot Meredith in the distance. She rounds the corner, is joined by the rest of the “Fins” and crosses the line.

Van #2 arrives soon after and we take a few pictures together. Taryn appears down the street, hits the corner, and thinks she’s finished when she spots her cheering teammates. We all yell for her to make a left turn and we join her in the run across the finish. We finish 12 minutes after the “Fins” team. In total: 198 miles in 30:47:15. 164th place out of 292 teams. Given that they started 3.5 hours after us, the “Fins” finished in 27:05:34 – good for 36th place overall.

After the big finish, we enjoyed some beers and war stories on the beach with the “Fins” team and any competitive bitterness that developed over the last few hours quickly melted away. We all cleaned up and had dinner as one big team at Turtle Kraals before heading over to Rick’s on Duval Street for free drinks (with our medals). We didn’t last too long after the free drinks were over and various team members began to peel off and head back to their various accommodations. Raffi, Lindsay and I left Rick’s just before 10 PM. I arrived in my bedroom at the townhouse at 10:16 PM – exactly 1 minute after I went to bed following last year’s Ragnar Relay in Daytona.

All pictures have been gathered. Look for them later this week!