Reach the Beach

Imagine a group of slightly wild and a little off kilter... physically fit & athletically attractive in every body build possible...running 200 miles in 24 hours...imagine 2 vans for each team...pit stops to cheer on your runner...camp sites for when your van is off...lots of cheering props & possibly the occasional other beverage of choice...oh, and no sleep other than pulling your sleeping bag up to a tree for a nap.
This is Woodstock for athletes in a running format. And without all the illegal drugs & actual sex. Thank god, the 1st & possibly last time I participated on a Reach the Beach team I was an overtired, 37 year old married mother of 3 on a kick-ass fast team of other women trying to compete for a 1st place team for our local running specialty store. I remember thinking, wow, kind of like being in a candy store for the physically fit. You can't help but gawk behind your Natives at the physiques out there.
My first encounter with another van was when we, a group of 6 attractive & obnoxiously fit women, pulled into a pit stop to wait for our runner...it was like a frat party...10 other testosterone-driven manly men throwing a football around waiting for their runners to come by. "Coming in hot"...was their response to our van as we pulled up.
Maybe a little cheesy and inappropriate, but for some reason, it was kind of funny...kind of complimentary and appropriate for the event. Running races seem to be so quiet and serious, conservative....and solo. You're out there pushing yourself with some spectators here and there, maybe clapping, maybe some cheering...but for the most part, it's you racing the course. Here, everyone's pulling for each other to make it through the absurdity of the event, all the while, checking each other out appreciatively.
This event turns running into a team sport. The comraderie amongst not only your van-mates & team but with the other 500 teams out there...it's unlike anything else you will ever experience. It's a perfect mix of challenge, wild fun, & pure joy. Between the cheering & random conversations, to the passing around of Nuun tablets & extra water...it's really unlike anything else.
If this race had been around when I was in my 20's, it would have been kind of like a spring break but healthier on so many levels. Instead of waiting in line to do shots from a box, you're waiting in line for a crappy cup of coffee at 2am at a transition area. Cheering your friend on in a bikini contest versus cheering your friend on during her 9 mile descend in Franconia Notch...Going out for greasy pancakes at noon the next day to rehash all the nights events....going out for any meal at a place that has working plumbing to rehash the past 24 hours & wait out the results.
Like spring break, I never thought I would live through it & survive to tell all the hilarious encounters, close calls & crazy stories from those 24 hours. But unlike spring break, I would do it all over again...just to relive that feeling that this event embraces unlike any other...so if you are looking for that challenge...because make no mistake, this race is not for the weak, but you also want a wild adventure, this is the one to do....