Each lap of approximately 5 miles featured three different loops; Technical, Strength, and Speed. Each of those loops needed to be completed in order, and only the final number of loops completed by the time cut-off at 2pm on Sunday, there were no partial miles awarded for any unfinished laps. Each obstacle must be completed within 3 tries or penalty lap/exercise was incurred.
Right now, as you stare at your monitor runners & cyclists are making their way across the USA, ticking off some of the 4000 miles bringing fire departments coast-to-coast with Run 2 Respond Relay. Now in year 2, R2RR continues to develop with an amazing course stopping at hundreds of fire stations across the USA. Similar to the Olympic torch, the Run 2 Respond baton is making its way across the country from Maine to California - but in true firefighting spirit, this "torch" ain't ablaze.
Running became a passion of mine "later" in life, I didn't run my first mile until I was in my early 30's, my first 5k in 2002 or so. Over the years I've fallen in love with running dozens of different times in various forms; trails, roads, obstacle course races, ultras, stage races, cross-country relays, etc. I've even fallen prey to the running demons that often plague us all; overuse, injury, self-doubt, DNF's, failures in all shapes and sizes. I've cared way too much about certain runs that didn't matter and dismissed some very valuable ones as unimportant; A races that I'd spent months training for became B or C races on a whim, while I turned simple training sessions into do-or-die battles with running partners.
Let's forego the "Why do you race?" question and get right down to the subject of this article: wickedly cool medals that you've earned and love to show off.Whether you hang 'em all in your office on an elaborate medal holder or they spend their time in a box, you put in the blood, sweat, and (possibly) tears to claim them as your own and it's up to your discretion what you want to do with them.
