Cross country members find success at the Ragnar Relays

Florida College sophomore Jay McDorman has twice before put his body to the test in the Ragnar Relays. When he heard about the newest one being created in Florida this summer he wasted no time registering a team comprised of members of the Florida College cross country team. The result was nothing less than spectacular.

The Ragnar Relay Series is held in various locations around the United States throughout the year. Teams are made up of 12 runners. They run through the 12-runner set three times, so each runner runs three legs.

Runners ride in two vans: runners 1–6 ride in the first van, 7–12 ride in the second. The van drops off the first runner and travels to the first exchange point, where the second runner begins. After six legs, the first van will hand off to the second. This pattern continues throughout the 36 legs. Since it is an overnight race, runners find time to eat and sleep between legs.

This year’s event, held November 14–15, raised money for Operation Kids, a non-profit organization that gives money to children’s charities.

McDorman summed up his experience, “It’s just a party, and then you have to run sometimes.”

Although McDorman’s team is not an official Florida College team, all of the racers and drivers are connected to the college. The “Legends Plus” team was made up of freshmen Brian Higdon, Eric Parker, Stephen Clark, Adam Smelser, Alex Hubartt, and J.P. Flores, and sophomores Stephen Rouse, Jay McDorman, Jackson Wiley, Alex Via, and Cameron Aly. Assistant cross country coach Kenny Weliever ’94 also ran.

Teams picked their starting time, with slower teams beginning earlier in the day. Legends Plus began at Clearwater Beach at 2:00 PM on November 14, the last starting time. They ran the 191-mile race to Daytona Beach in 22:52:23. They finished first in their division (Open Male) and second overall. The first-place team (22:12:47) was from the University of Florida and included a runner that ran in the Olympic trials. Legends Plus finished nearly an hour ahead of the third-place team.

This was Smelser’s first Ragnar race. “Ragnar was an amazing, adrenaline-filled experience. I absolutely loved it. I gained a new appreciation for things I usually take for granted, like soap,” said Smelser.

The team hopes to make their participation in the Florida Ragnar an annual event. Click here for full results.