Return of "Strong Women, Strong Men"

Did anyone say "Wasatch Back"? This relay race seems pretty addicting to those athletes that give it a try. It was the 2nd year for "Strong Women, Strong Men" (though Chad organized a team and ran it previously under the name "Porch light Gang"). This year featured several return runners, and, some friends of previous runners. We started at 12:20 pm on June 20 at Merlin Olsen Park. Chad's sister Nicole, volunteered and was working at that starting line. Thanks Nicole!

Our first runner, Ryan Jonson was incredible! He passed all but one runner of the 30 on the starting line, and we hear one of his legs he passed about 60 runners. He was definitely a strong addition to this year's team.

We only had 11 runners again this year due to a foot injury the week of the race. Four of our runners picked up an extra leg and did terrific for us. Chad picked up the first extra leg, and here are pictures of Van 1 at exchange 2. On the left are David Humphreys (3rd WB) and Ryan Johnson. On the right is John Pereira (2nd WB). Currently on the course during these pictures is Eric Johnson. He is a solid returning runner from last year. Verl Allen (3rd WB) hasn't arrived in Logan yet, and he doesn't until 10 minutes before his run. Good thing he was runner 5. He apparently likes to live on the edge!

Here is a photo of our van, before our turn began. We look so fresh and happy. It was over 25 hours before the race was completed, so that cheery demeanor was bound to fade. Left to right: Jen Bergam, Steve Somers, Carrie Neiderhauser (3 WB), and Steve Strong (2nd WB).

Our van's first runner was Jen Bergam. She is a great runner, Sister of 2nd time runner, Steve Strong. She pulled in 3 solid runs for us. Great running Jen!

Our van's second runner was ME. It was hot and slow going, but I finished my first leg. My second leg was easy (as all of the night runs tend to be, believe it or not!) and my third proved to be the hardest, though it didn't look to hard on paper. I logged about 17 miles between my three legs. Not a bad day's work!

Carrie (Chad's sister) was our van's third runner. She is a great athlete, and we were very glad to have her strength on our team. Here she is getting ready to pass some pour soul who isn't as strong as she is. Great running Carrie! She also did incredible powering up the hill to the beginning of Ragnar. This girl doesn't stop. If only I could be as tough as her!

Steve Strong was our 4th runner, he had some terrific runs, and his third was Ragnar, undeniably the hardest leg. In the heat and on such a tough hill, he kept going, passing a couple of other runners. We were all glad to sit in the AC while he was hitting the dirt road.

Chad was our 5th runner, and his hardest climb was on the way to Snow Basin. He worked hard and ran tough the entire way. He is about to pass another runner here. Considering he ran 4 legs, he ran the most miles of any one on the team at about 21.

Our last runner was Steve Somers. He was another great addition this year. He is Steve Strong's friend, and a great runner. He had our van's last set of legs, and he also was our concluding runner in the race. Here he is bringing it home to the finish line. Great running Steve!

Here we are at the finish, all 11 of us! Back row: Jen Bergam, Steve Somers, John Pereira, Verl Allen, David Humphreys, Eric Johnson, Ryan Jonson. Front row: Carrie Neiderhauser, Chad Iverson, Sherry Iverson, Steve Strong. We all have our finisher's medals on. Also, Here is a picture of us at the top of Ragnar - great view from the top of the world!

This year we finished in 25:05:06. We were 54th out of 545 teams. Last year "Strong Women, Strong Men" was 57th out of 296 teams. We finished 45 minutes quicker than last year. And this year's route was 3.8 miles longer than last year's with the different finish outside of Park City! Constant improvement! Chad's previous team from 3 years ago, The Porch Light Gang, finished at 140th at 28:32. It just keeps getting better.