Last week, the 36 Run Club, led by CrossFit Games Director Dave Castro and composed of Rich Froning, Patrick Vellner, Dan Bailey, Kristi Eramo, Alex Parker, Chyna Cho and Camille Leblanc-Bazinet, competed in the CrossFit Division of the Ragnar Trail Alafia Race.
Ragnar is a 24-plus-hour relay race performed on trail loops or en route to a destination. New this year, there is an official CrossFit Division, which allows participants to go head to head with other affiliates and teams that are a part of the CrossFit community.
The 36 Run Club took first in the CrossFit Division and fourth overall with a total race time of 22:20:13. Twenty-two teams competed in the CrossFit Division and four finished in the top 25 overall. See results here.
After the race, Castro posted the team’s results, saying, “Our CrossFit team at Ragnar Trail took first in our division and (fourth) overall. The other top-5 teams were all male teams. The top two teams did beat us by a lot, but still happy with (fourth) place overall. We beat the other CrossFit super team by 58 minutes.”
The other "super team" on-site included CrossFit athletes Travis Williams, Aaron Hanna, Justin LoFranco, Jenny LeBaw, Margaux Alvarez, Andrea Montalvo and Carleen Mathews.
Castro was the lead leg for the race, followed by Leblanc-Bazinet, Vellner, Cho, Froning, Bailey, Parker, and finally Eramo, who had the fastest times on all three courses for their team.
After the race, the team members reflected on their time together via social media:
“15+ miles each on 3 different trails through the night with less than three hours of sleep in a monsoon ... and it was a blast with new friends and old. I highly recommend a Ragnar Trail!” wrote Froning on his Instagram account.
“We had some interesting times ... but this is the best crew of exercise enthusiasts a guy could ask for," wrote Vellner.
“OMG we had So So So much fun! It’s hard to express how joyful/happy/grateful I am for such an amazing adventure! WE had a blast running 100 miles total relaying each other with no breaks through the pouring rain, thunder, heat, middle of the night, sleep deprived, etc. … Thanks Dave for making me a part of this,” wrote Leblanc-Bazinet.
“Got exactly what I wanted out of my first Ragnar Trail race. Swampy, wet, cold, delayed conditions, no sleep, and overnight running with a crew that laughed at it all with a smile on their faces for 100+ miles," said Bailey.
“So.Many.Laughs and so many miles run over the course of the last 24 hours with this crew. Beyond thankful for the opportunity to run the Ragnar Trail with Run club 36!" wrote Eramo.
“Pro tip: If you plan to spend 24 hours running over 100 miles in the woods, with no sleep and stormy weather, do it with these people. So thankful for another great opportunity! The friendships I have made through Crossfit and related athletic endeavours are second to none!” wrote Parker.
Ready to race? Get a team together and challenge friends, cross-town rivals and neighboring affiliates to a Ragnar event. There are trail and relay races coming to Arizona, Texas, Tennessee, California, Georgia and more. To find a Ragnar Trail or Ragnar Relay Race with a CrossFit Division, click here.
