Free Mustache Rides
Date: 08/09-08/10
PAX: @WildThing (WB?), @Schlitz, @VanGogh, @Workbench, @TheSingingCowboy (WD), @Turnover, @Huckleberry, @Suede, @Woodpecker, @Draftee, @Zima, @RachelRay (WB?), @Madoff, @Greenspan, @Burns, @Frostbite (YHC)
The time had come to return to the lovely state of West Virginia at Big Bear Campground – the summer abode to our lovely Singing Cowboy and his pretty lady, Kimberly.
We are talking about Ragnar West Virginia. This is the 4th iteration of the epic trail race that F3 Winston Salem has attended. Here were the teams:
Standard 8 man team – 120 miles as a group
Wild Thing, Schlitz, VG, Turnover, Workbench, TSC, Huck, and Suede
Ultra 4 man team – 120 miles as a group
Madoff, Greenspan, Burns, and YHC
Black Loop 2 man team: ~32 miles each
Zima & Rachel Ray
Woodpecker & Draftee
Training started many months ago for some, while some just showed up without any prep (looking at you Huck, VG, and TO!) Can we please find a race that does not require training in the dead of summer? FTLOG, it sucked getting up at 0400 to run miles after miles in 75 degree weather with 100% humidity.
PTO was submitted and approved. Childcare was thought of after the fact – thank you to all the M’s and families who stepped up over the weekend.
It was go time. We loaded up the cars and clown car(red) up 77N to WV making a quick stop in Fayetteville, WV for Pies and Pints or Secret Sandwich Society – trust me it is worth it. Rumor has it that @Adobe has forced his 2.0 to drive to SSS (roughly 3 hours) “to get driving hours” aka “I need to stock up on the succulent Pickles.”
YHC had the pleasure to ride up with Schlitzy and Burns for the 2nd year in a row… you can imagine the array of topics that were discussed. Our car was the first to arrive. PBRs were popped as we flicked off all the peasants who were in line checking in for their tents through Ragnar. We know a guy with a campground and pressed ahead #Cobains
Others followed shortly after and the Autrey’s place started to liven up a bit. Somehow Huck fit 6 grown men in his Suburban with all their gear…No one set up a tent next to Schlitz and me — rather pitched on the complete opposite side! Still trying to figure out why that was the case…. @VanGogh pops out in denim. All denim. Fit right in with the WV folk.
The fire was already lit, hugs and pleasantries were passed, and then it was time to carb load. @SweetTea hooked us up. And I mean HOOKED us up. Talking about 3 trays of chicken parm, a big tossed salad, some grilled veggies, and some bread. It was delicious and delightful. Many thanks @SweetTea – if you have not been to Spaghetti Park, stop reading and go support our man!
We listened to Zima complain about having Rachel Ray as a partner, then some more of that, then ended the night with Zima complaining about potentially being left in the dust by his partner.
Everyone got a good night’s sleep (or tried to). Some delicious breakfast burritos were on the fire – many thanks to @Workbench for shooting the hog, and @Huck for prepping! @Woodpecker and @Draftee went to bed with a beard and when YHC saw them in the AM, they had only the mustache. Must have been worried about the weight. #EverySecondCounts.
The 8 man team started at 0900. The Ultra team started at 0930. And lastly, Black Loop started at 1200.
Shortly after the gun shot off, F3 Winston had their first casualty. Our boy Schlitz was blazing through the trails and was probably air drumming to screamo punk and took a tumble. A gnarly gnash right under his knee. After a quick trip to the ER, and getting hit on by 5 “hot” nurses, and 5 stitches later, his race was done. Kimberly was a #HIW (High Impact Woman) and took good care of our boy. The good news? He absolutely crushed his only loop and shed 20 minutes off his time last year. Sad news? He was done for with 5 stitches and the beer was not going to drink itself. He pivoted and focused on that.
Other than that, there was not other trail injuries. Yet, our golf cart broke on Friday PM. Shit, how are we going to shuttle back and forth to launch? Have no fear – we could utilize TSC’s Toyota. There were some jabs thrown at Dodge owners (they remained nameless)… but it got the job done for the rest of the race.
The 8 man team finished in just under 25 hours – placing 29th out of 143! Absolutely crushed it. Too bad they couldn’t get under 24 hours… ain’t that right, Paul? But seriously, they killed it with a man down and shoutout to @WildThing and @Huck for picking up extra loops. @Huck finished in Jorts with a heel kick for the ages before crossing the bridge and had a tasty 25oz adult beverage as he crossed the finished line. Always a fun sight to see the rest of the team join in for the final stretch and cross the finish line together.
The real kicker was that the 8 man team finished before the Ultra team even started their last leg. Talk about a nut punch! The Ultra Team finished in just over 27 hours placing 11th out of 21. We all beat the goal we set out for (to not finish last), so it was a success in my book. This was the first time F3WS participated in the Ultra, and might be the last time. Imagine running, crossing the finish line, and then having to run some more. Then getting a 4 hour break, and doing the same thing all over, but the loop is longer! It was not fun, but proud of the guys for pushing through and getting after it.
Black Loop teams crushed it, as well. Rachel Ray did leave Zima in the dust on Friday but stuck together for the 17 miler on Saturday. YHC ran into Rachel Ray after he finished the Red Loop Friday PM and was met with a “I am the MF man” Hell yeah you are. Strong work! As much as Zima complained, he absolutely held his own and killed it. Those little legs don’t stop moving!
Draftee and Woodpecker were the little engines that could! They kept a solid pace, were methodical in monitoring their heartrates, and absolutely crushed it. Other than a few jammed ankles and thumbs, and a stumble that caused some bleeding in a hand, they enjoyed themselves on the scenic trails. Zima ended up being with them more than his team, and they welcomed him with open arms.
All teams were wrapped up around 1300. Time to move on to the real reason we were there, the fellowship! Saturday was for the boys. We all showered up, got a little nap in, and started to recover. We had 150 beers to crush, 50 hot dogs or so, 6 pizzas, and all the leftover snacks that were brought. It ’twas a good afternoon. We were on our best behavior, and all were in bed by 2200. Trust me, Starfish!
Most were up and at ’em early on Sunday AM. Packed up, cleaned up, and got on the road around 0830 to head back to WS.
NMM:
@Schlitz brought Life cereal which greatly offended @Huckleberry and his affinity for Cinnamon Toast Crunch… like seriously offended. We think that is why @Schlitz had the weekend that he had. #BadKarma
@Schlitz said he was going to hold off on the partying until Saturday when everyone was done, but with nothing to do on Friday, he certainly provided the entertainment and laughs for all who were recovering between legs.
@Zima was able to rock the Karate Kid headband in @Schlitz honor on one of his loops, while @Huck wore a stick on mustache to really get into character. The lovely ladies at the finish line were a BIG fan of those mustaches.
Majority of people got to try Busch Light Lime for the first time this weekend, and YHC would say it was met with mixed reviews, but there was also none to be found by Sunday…
@TO fell asleep at our post while waiting on his team to finish. It may have been due to the 15 miles he crushed, and certainly not the Little Hazy Thing Tallboy he had by his side. He wrapped up around 0600 Saturday and commenced his celebration at that time.
@Greeny ran one of his legs in reverse order but was not caught in the act. It did not make it any easier.
@TSC has a Motorola phone and Spotify with Ads… he quickly got the boot off the AUX and everyone ensured to Venmo him for the pizza – we had to double check that this country fella had Venmo… #TimesAreTough
@WildThing is a man that takes after his old man. He also has Spotify with Ads and got to play 1 song before getting the boot. We all thought maybe Burlap secretly made the trip to WV.
@WildThing also graced us with bringing his 2 furry animals Forest and Oliver. They brightened the mood and added some cuddles when necessary.
Speaking of playlists, we were graced with @Burns’ only downloaded playlist which consisted of ATL Rap…which brought a lot of controversy. Is Outkast good? Is Ludacris on the Mt. Rushmore of rappers? Ask TO his opinions on these things.
@Zima spent the whole first night in WV in the bungalow not knowing their was AC there… someone help this man!
In true Frostbite fashion, YHC had to veer off the trails on my evening run. Luckily, YHC has learned his lesson during CWTR and brought some wipes along for the run or else I would have been in deep trouble. All the synthetic protein and calories and Goos/Gummies did a number on the insides. I missed Crossnore and the lovely portapoty at the top is all I will say about that.
The consensus was that the Green Loop is the worst loop out of them all. You’d think the shortest loop would be the easiest, but mentally it lasts the longest! #ThatsWhatSheSays
Speaking of #ThatsWhatSheSays – there were countless comments that required this phrase to be said. I will refrain from putting any out on the web but imagine 16 dudes who were all tight and sore, needing to loosen up, with vibrating guns that caused moans, yeah you get the picture. Again, Kimberly is a trooper and MVP of the weekend.
Many naps were taken… from Enos, to camp chairs, to couches, you had to catch the Zzz’s when you could.
In order to pass the time, and after spending roughly 54 hours together, the teams began trying to throw rocks into different things, one being YHC’s shoes that were in the middle of the circle. Most got good at doing that, while YHC was unable to get up out of my chair to put a stop to it. Yeah, we were running on fumes and had nothing better to do.
@Madoff sat in Kimberly’s seat on the porch swing… bad call on his part.
Lots of speculation on Cowboy’s rule of not pissing in his backyard. We all followed that one, for sure. We all know now there is a secret passageway to the bathrooms that cuts off a good 1 minute… Thanks for telling us that, Cowboy!
The peanut butter pie was to die for. The hype is real. Thanks @Kimberly for snagging that treat!
@VanGogh, @RachelRay, @Schlitz all forgot their Toilet Paper which made for an interesting weekend. Believe they had to steal from the portapoty up at the race… which led to a downstream impact on the campers there. Many were seen carrying their own TP into the joint. Reminded me of the music festival hosted by Ja Rule FyreFestival…
@Spam would not have been too happy with some of the gear that 6 guys showed up in. There was workout during COVID?
Weather was absolutely delightful all weekend. Mid 70s during the day with temp dipping into the 60s in the evening made for a glorious weekend. First time it didn’t rain on us in all 3 prior years!
Forgetting a lot of little moments that made the weekend, but readers will just have to trust me that this event is top-notch.
Overall, it was an excellent weekend with 15 other #HIMs. Special thanks to @TSC for opening up his home and hosting us. Your hospitality does not go unnoticed and you and Kimberly truly make the weekend special. If you have never been to WV, or done a relay race, I highly encourage you to go ahead and mark your calendars for the 2nd weekend in August to enjoy some scenic views, a tough beatdown, some great fellowship, and of course some jabbing with your friends.
Isn’t it cool that we get to do Completely Stupid and Utterly Pointless things together? Take time to reflect on that — getting a chance to bond through hardship leads to not only stronger relationships, but also the tools and fortitude to overcome challenging things outside of working out. The things we get to do – not have to do (this is a blessing!), each day sharpens us to be stronger men, better husbands, and caring friends. What we do does have an impact on our physical health and physique, but it also propels us to keep pushing, and to have endurance. One thing that YHC loved about this weekend is knowing that I was not doing this stupid thing by myself. 15 other guys were right beside me in sharing the pain; they were encouraging me, lifting me up, telling me to keep going. And with that, I know that I am not going through life alone. I am thankful for each one of you guys and the good you bring in my life and into our community. Keep growing it!
All the love,
Frostbite
