Relay Recap #2


posted by Gretchen

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Here's how it all went down, to the best of my recollection...



Leg #1: I suit up in reflective gear and set out from Lake Ray Hubbard.


Leg #2: Russell "picks up the torch" and runs across a dark scary bridge.

Allison & Nathan complete their first legs after being chased by stray canines. We discover that no one knows how to properly use the pepper spray!

Amber runs over a huge piece of wire in Jeremy's car...

Leg #7: We arrive at 45 after the initial trek through town and Chris takes off on his first leg. The van goes on ahead while the car starts tailing. Along comes a policeman wondering if everything is alright...

Leg #8: Jared heads out to wrap up round 1... and gets re-routed due to road closures from high water. He ends up on the opposite side of the highway and has to jump the median to get to the next exchange point. In the dark. Trooper.

Enjoying our mini-feasts of PBJ's, crackers, granola bars, fruit, and cookies...


Leg #9: Second leg for me and really digging the night-time scene. Very peaceful. Perfect temperature.

Leg #10: Russell and I exchange at the Galaxy Drive-In Theater outside Ennis. As he heads out, a few dogs decide to join him. Good thing he's quick... But not quick enough to escape the law. 3 police cars surround us, while another pulls Russell over. Apparently someone placed a 911 call: "Someone is being chased down the highway by a car!" Right... Upon explanation, one of the officers tells his partner: "They're doing some kind of marathon or something." Um, actually, more like 9 of them. Care to donate to the cause? Undeterred, we press on.

Van and car crews switch out and Amber, Chris, Jared, Russell, and I drive ahead in an attempt to sleep for a few hours. Not happening.

Leg#16: Upon looking for the next exchange point at a Rest Stop, we realize that the Rest Stop has been bull-dozed!

Leg #17: Daylight has dawned! I tackle my longest leg of 5.9 miles on the highway. Apparently I'm good at getting truckers to stop and make sure I'm ok. 3, to be exact.


Both van and car are traveling together now. Arrival time slated to be way earlier than expected. By about 6 hours. Stacey and Wrigley stop by to say hello and cheer us on.


Leg 21: Allison is the toughest person I know. She is rocking along on a hurt knee with blinding speed.

Leg 22: Pope completes yet another leg with his hands in the air.


We hit the hills. And they are monsters. First Chris, followed by Jared, myself, and Russell, who rounds out the battle with a solid 6.7 miles... Pace slows down a bit, but we push through to complete round 4. Jared starts craving hot dogs.




A random guy pulls over to talk to us. Turns out he graduated from ACU and "couldn't not stop at the sight of a CofC van"!

Leg 33: Night is upon us. Once again, I have the first leg in the dark. Headlamp, check. Rachel, Jeremy, Russell, and Will trail behind me while the van drives on ahead.


Leg 36: Will stops traffic in his blinding Brook's jacket. As he takes off from a Rest Stop (that does actually exist), Jeremy, Amber, and I stop to go down the slide at a nearby playground. Russell snaps a picture while thinking we've all lost our minds. No doubt we have at this point!



We catch up to the van, kick our compadres out and try to sleep. Again, not much to be had. Meanwhile, Allison blazes by the Huntsville Prison in the orange vest.


Leg 41: It is time to finish this relay out! Fatigued but determined, we begin our final legs. A few more slopes to tackle, and it's pretty chilly out. Will yells "You're almost there!" out the window to me. He is later thankful that I didn't hear him.


Leg 43: Jeremy's final leg takes him on a (planned) wild goose chase through the little town of Willis to visit O'Reilly's Auto Parts. Retracing his steps, he completes his journey, and Will takes off in his arm warmers. We encounter a crazy driver who stops to shake his fist at us as he swerves down the road.

One more van swap, and we drive ahead to an empty parking lot to wait for our compadres to finish up. After a text from Amber of impending arrival, I try to wake my sleeping teammates. Will and Jeremy throw fits like small children at being awoken. I am beyond delirious and determined and make them get up anyway.


Leg 49: All 8 of us shuffle through the final mile together. Amber and Rachel drive ahead to open the gate for us but cannot find the right street. Groans ensue, but we are not deterred. Finally through the gate, we round the corner and arrive at our destination on Lake Conroe. It is 5 AM. Exhausted, smelly, and hungry, we take a moment to rejoice in the finish.

We take a moment to pray and remember the children on Lake Volta who are the reason we just ran 240 miles.


More pictures here.

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