Here are some of the most common questions people have about our events. If you have any additional questions, feel free to contact us.
Q: Do I need to have all 12 people on my team together to register?
A: You do not need to have your entire team put together at the time you register for a race. You can add or substitute team members for free until about 6 weeks before the race. After that you can still add or substitute team members, but there is a small fee involved.
Q: Do I pay for the entire team at the time I register?
A: The team captain will register the team. At that time he or she will pay the registration fee for the entire team. It is up to the team captain to work out collecting reimbursement from team members.
Q: Do I assemble my own team or will Ragnar Relay do that for me?
A: Teams are responsible for assembling themselves. We do however have a message board on our website. This board is a great way to find teams to run with or to find a few extra runners.
Tip: If you’re looking to join a team you will get a lot of calls a week or two before the event. If you are looking for runners we suggest grabbing them off the board at least a few weeks in advance. The last week or two they are very picked over and many people can’t get out of work.
Q: I’m having trouble putting a team together any suggestions?
A: Yes a few tips.
The best way to put together a team is to put someone in charge of filling each van. That way two people are trying to find just 5 people each. Start putting your team together in advance if possible. It’s a lot easier to recruit people when they have time to train and before their schedule gets too busy. Don’t just look for runners. Lots of people that are in reasonable shape would love to compete. Talk to everyone Try putting together just half of a team. Then post on the message board that you have one van. You should be able to find someone that has enough runners for another van. Use our online team finder or Ragnar Relay Series Facebook Fan Page to find runners looking for teams or teams looking for runners.
Q: How fast do I have to be to run in a Ragnar Relay?
A: We have runners of all skill levels, from 15 min/mile beginners to elite marathoners. Your average team pace needs to be around 11 min/mile or faster so that your team has enough time to finish the race within our window.
Q: How do runners get from one exchange to the next?
A: Each team is responsible for providing two support vehicles. They will put 6 runners in each vehicle. The first vehicle will start the race. After watching their first runner start they’ll drive ahead about half of the leg to cheer on their runner. They’ll then drive ahead to the first exchange to get the second runner ready. Once the second runner takes the hand off they’ll pick up the first runner and continue on. They’ll continue this pattern for six legs until they hand off to the next van. Once they have handed off to the second van they’ll have a few hours to eat, sleep, and/or relax before it’s their turn to run their second set of legs.
Q: Do both vans need to be at the start?
A: No, only van one needs to be at the start. Van two can either come to the start or wait for van one at exchange 6.
Q: Who provides the vans?
A: Teams must provide their own vans. If no one on your team has an acceptable van we recommend renting them from Enterprise.
Q: What types of vehicles would you recommend?
A: We recommend 15 passenger vans whenever possible. You’ll have a lot more room to relax. Suburbans are also great vehicles. We don’t recommend anything smaller than a mini-van. We don’t allow anything larger than a 15 passenger van (approx 20 ft. long)
Q: Does the race benefit a charity?
A: Yes, a portion of our proceeds benefit local charities. For more information, please contact the race director for the event.
Q: Will the course be marked?
A: Yes. We pride ourselves in excellent course marking. There will be signs at every turn and confusing section on the course. After dark signs will have flashing LED lights to make them more visible.
Q: What time does the race start on Friday?
A: The starts are staggered throughout the day, based upon your team's average pace. Slower teams start earlier, while faster teams start later. A typical start time spread would be between 8am and 5pm.
Q: When will I receive a start time?
A: We'll send out an email to the team captains just after late registration closes; team captains will be able to submit an updated team pace, along with their top three start time requests. We do our best to fulfill the requests, but due to team pace and course considerations, we aren't always able to. We try to post the start times on the "Teams and Results" page around four to five weeks before the race.
Q: How come you guys are so awesome?
A: Thanks, we like you too.
