Ragnar & 1/2 Marathon

One of my 2026 goals was to run 26 miles worth of races. Let's be real- I hate running. But I like to challenge myself, so...

I unintentionally accomplished my goal in back-to-back weekends. I signed up for the Ogden Half Marathon early in the year, then my friend Melissa asked if I wanted to run a Zion Ragnar the weekend before that. Yes, yes, yes. So two races back-to-back and the goal is complete.

Ragnar was honestly AMAZING. We camped (pictures proving I camped below- I am not a camper person) and our 8 member team each took turns running 3 different loops, red, green, and yellow. Green and yellow were 4 miles and red was 7.5. Someone was running at all times and we accomplished the loops in different orders. The team finished 257th place (ha!) at 30.5 hours. My first loop (yellow) was my hardest as it was in the blazing sun and on an exposed trail. I didn't know what to expect, either. Green was at 10 PM and it was dark and cool and amazing. Red was my most dreaded, but ended up being my favorite. I got to sleep through the night while all the other fools took a turn running. I then got up for my last loop at 8 AM and it was honestly almost a spiritual experience for me. It was long and hard, but cool, and I could see the gorgeous landscape around me. I had several "moments" on this trail where I actually shed tears- I think the tears represented awareness of the beauty of the world around me, the awesome privilege it is to get to do really cool things with really cool people, and mostly that I had worked hard to accomplish something. I am not naturally athletic and these things don't come easy to me-but I had proven to myself that I could work hard and accomplish my goals.  Not fast, but I can still do it. I came running across the line on my last loop expecting my friend Mel to be ready to go (she followed me), but she was nowhere in sight. I had to hang up my running bib and run out to find her. It surprised her- and the rest of the team- that I was back already. I had a good laugh about it because I was not fast by any means, but I was happy to have exceeded the slow expectations they had for me. Anyway, I wax long like normal, but Ragnar was a beautiful and poetic experience for me. 

I provided team shirts. Are we surprised?

Red loop. Having one of my "moments"

Team Ragnar Rebels: Stacie, Mel, Denelle, Emma, Trent, Zach, Melissa, Me

Bestie bruises with my bestie Mel. That darn yellow loop again- I fell hard! To be fair 4/8 of the teammates fell at some point on the trail. haha.

Ogden Half Marathon: 

Yesterday, one week after Ragnar, I ran the Ogden Half Marathon. I have never run a 1/2, or even any kind of race except a 10k once upon a time where I got lost. Anyway, this is something I also worked hard for. I went in with no time goals, no expectations except to finish. My friends Mel and Brenda were supposed to run it with me too, but both had to drop out for various reasons. Melissa was my gal again. We started with Denelle, her friend Sarah, and Zach and Scott, Melissa's brother in laws. They of course quickly left us and we made our way down ourselves. We ran the entire thing, except for a few short slow downs to fuel and drink before we would pick it back up. It honestly was not nearly as hard as I expected it to be. The last mile was rough, but everything else felt great. We took it slow, enjoyed the gorgeous day and scenery of the Ogden Canyon. Crossing the finish line felt like a huge accomplishment again, but not quite as amazing as my feelings at Ragnar. I am not sure the difference, because a half is still a lot to be proud of! I have said I am one and done and I have no desire to do another one and I think that is true. I accomplished it and that is enough for me!

Races. Check. One and done medals