Pinnacle Plodders - March

The Pinnacle Plodders are veterans of the Ragnar Relay Series. The team, captained by Kody Thurston, is made up of friends and neighbors from Scottsdale, Arizona. Although this is the first year of the Del Sol, this will be their fourth Ragnar Relay. They participated in the Wasatch Back in 2005 and 2006, as well as the test run of the Del Sol last year. In fact, Kody and team member Scott Neil have been influential in the course design of the Del Sol.

When asked about the team name "Pinnacle Plodders", Kody lamented the fact that they hadn't put more thought into their name, but decided to stick with the name that they have been using. The name came from Pinnacle Peak, a landmark in the Phoenix area. "Plodders" comes from the style of running they espouse, "we have a great time just plodding along."

Being one of the few veteran teams that will run the Del Sol we asked Kody for some advice to assist the rookie teams. Kody's advice was, "don't leave your wife to run her leg, by herself, in the middle of the night. You just might end up running all her legs as well." He also suggested that you stop your van and watch your teammates as they run their legs. "There is something cool about seeing your teammates sweating and throwing up for the team."

Kody's best memory from each race is when the sun comes up. "It is really amazing when you have been running all through the night; you are tired, cold, and exhausted, and all of the sudden the sun rises and gives you a jump start. Your energy returns, your sleepiness is replaced with excitement, and the feeling of running in the early morning sun is unbeatable."

We would like to congratulate the Pinnacle Plodders on their fourth Ragnar Relay. If you are participating in the Ragnar Relay Del Sol and you see the Pinnacle Plodders team vehicle don't hesitate to stop and say hello. They make for fine friends during an overnight relay race.