Ragnar Trail Rainier

I ran 7 miles down the mountain surrounded by densely packed trees, in pitch darkness. Yes, it was scary, but for some reason, it was exciting, and I couldn't help smiling throughout the run.

What is Ragnar?

Up until now, I had never heard of Ragnar. During the summer of 2022, our Booth Run Club co-chair sent out an announcement on our Slack channel about the "annual Ragnar Relay race" which seemingly generated a lot of excitement, measured by the rapid generation of ❤️ underneath the announcement. I was curious, so I looked it up, and here was a quick summary I pulled up:

• Ragnar Trail is an 8-person relay race covering roughly 120 total miles as a team.
• The race is divided into three trail loops, each with its own distance and difficulty:
  • Green Loop – ~3 miles, easiest
  • Yellow Loop – ~5 miles, medium
  • Red Loop – ~7 miles, hardest
• Every runner completes all three loops, totaling about 15–16 miles per person.
• The race runs continuously for about 24 hours, typically Friday morning to Saturday afternoon, with one runner on the trail at all times.
• While one runner is out, the rest of the team rests, eats, sleeps, or hangs out at the campsite.
• Ragnar hosts two types of races:
  • Road Ragnar – point-to-point relay on streets and highways
  • Trail Ragnar – loop-based relay on forested singletrack, with a full campsite village
• The loops always run in the same fixed order: Green → Yellow → Red.
• Runners rotate through that loop order. Example rotation:
  • Runner 1: Green
  • Runner 2: Yellow
  • Runner 3: Red
  • Runner 4: Green
  • Runner 5: Yellow
  • Runner 6: Red
  • Runner 7: Green
  • Runner 8: Yellow
  • Then Runner 1 returns for Red, and the cycle continues.
• With a full team, each runner gets the chance to run all three loops, and the final runner's Red loop completes the ~120-mile total.

Signing Up

I expressed interest in the race by putting my name on the spreadsheet that our co-chair compiled. A few weeks later, he sent a text asking me if I was still interested, and I had to give him a concrete answer. I hadn't done a long run before this, so I was scared I would not only pass out mid-run but also fail my team and become an outcast (in case I didn't mention this before, I overthought a lot). But then I reminded myself that part of my reason for joining grad school was taking risks and stepping out of my comfort zone. So without giving it a second thought, I told him I'm in.

The race was going to take place in August, where we would run the hiking trails on Crystal Lake Mountain, just outside Mount Rainier, so despite the name, we were not running the actual trails on Mount Rainier. But we did have a nice view of it! The first trail was 3 miles which was a small loop around the campsite. The second trail was almost 5 miles up to the summit of the mountain, starting at the campsite. The last (and hardest) leg was almost 7 miles down the mountain, starting from the summit and ending at the campsite.

Getting Ready

The race was in late August of 2022 up in Seattle, on Crystal Lake Mountain. We had two teams of eight people each lined up to participate, and we spent the next few weeks planning out the logistics: flights, rental cars, camping equipment, reimbursements etc. I volunteered as one of the drivers, and had three others ride with me. Eventually, two people from each team had to drop for medical reasons so we rerouted our team structure so we had two teams of seven runners each, meaning at least one person from each team had to run the extra legs to make up for the missing team member.

On the Thursday and Friday before the race, we all flew in on separate flights, landing at SeaTac airport and drove down to Crystal Lake Mountain, roughly two hours away. The Ragnar volunteers directed us to a large clearing, which would be our campsite. Between the two of us, we had three large tents, so plenty of room to sleep in. By Friday midnight, all fourteen of us had arrived. After some midnight stargazing around the campsite, we all fell asleep.

The Race Begins — The Yellow Trail

One of the other runners woke up early Saturday morning before the sun had even risen and we decided to head to the summit, where the yellow trail ends and the red trail begins. No, we weren't going to climb the whole mountain before the race even started. But we knew there was a chain of gondolas running between the bottom and the top of the mountain (so runners can easily go up and down after or before their run on the summit). We went up the gondola to the top and caught a beautiful view of the sunrise.

Fast-forward a few hours later, and we had all gathered at the starting point where the 3 mile green leg began. I wasn't the first runner up so I still had time to relax and get ready. I was, however second in line, so my turn was coming up fast. When Runner 1 finally finished his 3 miles, it was my turn to continue on the 5 mile yellow trail.

I would summarize the yellow trail as a tough, steady climb but with payoff views that you wouldn't mind briefly stopping the run for. The incline begins almost immediately. It starts out with trees and foliage pretty densely packed as you run along the narrowing path. Most of my focus had to be on the first 1 to 1.5 miles of the trail because of the makeshift bridges, uneven footing and rocks littered around. As the trail inclined up, I was already alternating between running and walking, thinking it would be nightfall before I finished this leg. Around the 3rd mile, I was significantly higher up, and the surroundings began to clear up, showing an incredible view of the mountain and the whole campsite below. Why I didn't stop to take a picture is anyone's guess.

There were a few people ahead of me, mostly walking, wanting to enjoy the view. I walked ahead, past the other runners and regular hikers egging me on as I passed by them. The incline itself was a little more forgiving, so I was able to enjoy this part of the leg. The trail was slowly winding up until I was close to the top. The last half mile was a brutal incline filled with dirt and loose rocks. But at the same time, I could clearly see the spectacular snow-capped top of Mount Rainier. But even better, I could see a crowd gathered at the top and some Ragnar tents, meaning I was close to the end! Some of my team members had already taken the gondola up there and were waiting for me. They and the crowd kept cheering my name as I ran up to the tent to end the leg. I passed my bib over to Runner 3, who began the red trail down while I recuperated with the rest of my team. One of my other team members and I grabbed some pretzels at the café that was conveniently placed at the summit before taking the gondola down.

Night Run — The Red Trail

I had plenty of time to relax and watch my other team members do their legs. I knew that since I did the yellow trail, I was going to do the red trail eventually. So I spent the rest of the day relaxing at the campsite, exploring the park, and just talking to people. Once the sun started to set, I realized my run was coming, and it hit me: I was going to run almost 7 miles down the mountain in pitch darkness.

As the sun went down, the runner who was about to complete the yellow leg was about to reach the summit, so that was my cue to take the gondola up and meet her there. I was by myself on the gondola going up, which is when I first noticed the fog settling in. There was a crowd of people at the summit, most waiting for their own team members. After about thirty minutes of waiting, my partner came walking up, tired but relieved to be done. She handed over the bib, wished me luck and took the gondola back down. Then it was my turn to officially begin the run.

By the time I started the red trail, it was close to nine at night and the fog beginning to descend at the top of the mountain. I switched on my headlamp and blinker on and started jogging down. The incline down was very gentle at the beginning and the area was open and clear. But just about a hundred feet from the start of the red trail, the trail became singletrack and I was soon surrounded by rows and rows of densely packed alpine trees, which was how the rest of the trail was going to be. Even with a headlamp, the fog made it so I only had roughly ten feet of visibility in front of me, so I resorted to walking. The trail was narrow enough but I also had to be careful I wouldn't fall off the side and to my death below. The thing about Ragnar is that the safety part is on you. They will not install guardrails or have cameras set up to monitor you. The only thing they will do here is set up mile markers and reflective guides so you know you're on the right trail. But even then, I would occasionally pray I didn't make a wrong turn because I didn't see a mile marker pointing the other way, and that was because one of the runners accidentally kicked it over. I may have mentioned I was an overthinker.

Throughout the run, the incline was not very steep but, it was a winding route throughout the run. After roughly 2 miles, I was low enough so the fog wasn't an issue anymore but I still had a long way to go. Like the yellow trail, the red trail terrain was rocky, uneven and filled with trip hazards, made worse without any sunlight. I had my music on, and for some reason, the lyrics echoed behind me so I kept thinking there was someone behind me. But when I looked around, there was no one there. In a way, it was kind of exciting. Here I was, running alone in the woods with no one knowing where I was, potential causes of death around every corner, who knows what carnivores lurking around, and yet I was doing what I love and a camp full of friends waiting for me.

After crossing the fifth mile marker, I was finally near the bottom, and the trail had started to widen with more runners visible. But I still had two miles left. The hard part was over, but there was still a wave of steep inclines to go over. After walking for what almost felt like an eternity, I finally let out a sigh of relief when I saw the lights from camp. That gave me the energy to start running again, past the parked cars and back into the tent where my friends were waiting for me. After handing over the bib to the next runner, who soon darted on the green trail, I finally got a chance to rest my legs. I couldn't sleep just because of how thrilling that run was!

Last Day — The Green Trail

By the time I had finished the red trail, it was Sunday morning, probably close to two or three in the morning. I didn't sleep, but I did spend some time around the bonfire, trying to warm up. One of the girls from the other team was also running the red loop, so a couple of us waited in the tent for her to come. She eventually made it just as the sun was coming up.

Sooner or later, my turn to run the green loop was coming up. Normally, it would've been my last leg, but because we were a member short, I volunteered to run the green leg a second time to make up for the missing runner. Because this loop was only a little over three miles and after running the treacherous yellow and red trails, I wasn't stressing about this one at all, especially now after I was no longer a stranger to Ragnar. Close to eight in the morning, my time to run the green leg came.

Unlike the yellow and red trail, the green trail was a short loop around the mountain that started and ended at the main Ragnar tent. Throughout this leg, the incline was very manageable, and there weren't any exposed ridgelines since this whole leg was at the base of the mountain. The trail starts as a single track through the forest with easy, soft terrain. The terrain eventually widens, and I ran past a dense collection of alpine trees for about a mile. Eventually, the path narrows again, cutting off the trail and through the middle of the forest for about half a mile. Eventually, I came out of the clearing and back into the open towards base, merging with the end of the red trail. I ran past the parked cars and back into the tent. About an hour later, I re-ran the green trail with the only difference being a slightly higher temperature. While I would've normally run the whole three-mile green leg, I was already tired from running the yellow and red leg, so I walked half of the green both times. But now, I was fully done with running this Ragnar and just had to wait for the rest of my team to finish their legs.

Wrap Up

By late afternoon, runners across the mountain were beginning to finish up their last leg. While our last team member was still running the last leg (red trail) of Ragnar, a group of us were up at the summit, grabbing some lunch at the restaurant located there. The sun was blazing hot so I was glad I wasn't out there running 7 miles in the heat, considering how rough the last two miles were. After lunch, we made our way down to base camp and started to pack up our things. Once we got word that our last runner was close to the finish line, our entire team ran over there with our official school flag and wait by the finish line. As soon as he showed up, we spread the flag out and ran past the finish line together, effectively closing what is no doubt not just the best race I participated in but also one of the best moments of my life.

Each member of our team received a square-shaped Ragnar medal, which when combined together forms a picture which I thought was pretty cool. Since we were down a runner, one of us (I don't remember who but most probably our team captain) kept two of the medals. After some initial celebrations and pictures, we fully packed up and left the park. Half of us took redeye flights back to their cities while the other half (including me) had booked an Airbnb near the airport. So we spent the night there and then flew back out the next morning.

Thoughts on Ragnar

When I initially signed up for Ragnar, I did not know what it was. As a result, several doubts ran through my mind about how I would contribute to the team or if I would even last two days on a mountain! And like I mentioned before, when our co-chair (and later team captain) reached out to me, asking if I was still interested in participating in Ragnar. But after running the actual thing, I am glad I didn't listen to my doubt. Ragnar to me was an opportunity for people to come together for a common goal and find joy in just running but then complaining and laughing about it afterwards. The sheer excitement of running some of the dangerous trails at one in the morning is unparalleled. A lesson I definitely took from this was if I see an opportunity I like, don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone to do it. The more you doubt yourself, the less likely you would try it and then you would have to suffer through the regret of not going forward with it.