{"id":5481,"date":"2015-09-09T11:46:07","date_gmt":"2015-09-09T18:46:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=5481"},"modified":"2018-11-11T22:03:28","modified_gmt":"2018-11-12T06:03:28","slug":"family-vacation-for-the-olpins-running-a-ragnar-relay-is-the-perfect-getaway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/run\/family-vacation-for-the-olpins-running-a-ragnar-relay-is-the-perfect-getaway","title":{"rendered":"Family Vacation: For The Olpins, Running A Ragnar Relay is the Perfect Getaway"},"content":{"rendered":"

To run all day is one thing. To keep pounding the trail through the night while racing against a ticking clock is a level of suffering few are willing to endure. But for Jeff Olpin, a 35-year-old \u201cRagnarian,\u201d running a 30-hour team relay is just his family\u2019s idea of a fun vacation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were sitting around at a family reunion two years ago, which is basically when our family gets together and goes camping,\u201d says Olpin, \u201cand we thought, \u2018Hey, should we form a team and do one of these Ragnar races?\u2019 We kind of looked at each other and someone said, \u2018Does that mean we have to train?\u2019 And I said, \u2018Absolutely!\u2019 So we decided then and there, \u2018Let\u2019s do it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The Olpins, who Jeff describes as a \u201crowdy group\u201d of outdoor enthusiasts based in Salt Lake City, Utah, formed a team sponsored by Olpin\u2019s mother, and ran their first Ragnar Relay Series race last year, completing the Wasatch Back. Still hungry for more, they decided to \u201cdouble medal\u201d last year, and took their act on the road to complete the Vegas Ragnar relay.<\/p>\n

\"Ragnar<\/p>\n

This year, Jeff and his wife will be joined by three cousins and three friends to form the eight-person team needed to compete in the Ragnar Trail Series race. And for this race, REI and Solomon will be sponsoring his team. Olpin explains that he entered a sweepstakes held by REI \u201cjust to see what would happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSurprisingly, we won!\u201d he adds. \u201cWe\u2019re completely outfitted to have an awesome time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Calling themselves \u201cTeam Defiantly Competitive\u201d\u2014a name derived from one team member writing that he was \u201cdefiantly competitive\u201d while actually meaning definitely <\/em>competitive\u2014the Olpins and friends have one main strategy for this race: to have fun and socialize while running through the night.\u00a0\u201c’Defiantly competitive\u2019 is our mantra,\u201d says Olpin. \u201cI project that we will spend more time hanging out and partying than we will sleeping.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though some might fear trail running at night, Jeff couldn\u2019t be more excited to pull the night shift.\u00a0\u201cI love the night runs,\u201d he says. \u201cYou throw on a headlamp, you get a flashlight, and it\u2019s just awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

To train for the race, the Olpins have been running a six-mile loop trail near their house in Little Cottonwood Canyon.\u00a0\u201cBut not nearly enough!\u201d he says laughing.<\/p>\n

For Team Defiantly Competitive, running a Ragnar relay isn\u2019t all about the race.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s part road-trip, part race, part vacation, and part camping,\u201d says Olpin.\u00a0And perhaps the most important part of all: a perfect excuse to spend quality time with friends and family.\u00a0\u201cOur goal is to have an absolute blast,\u201d says Olpin. And then, as if remembering his team\u2019s mantra, he quickly adds, \u201cand hopefully finish under the time limit!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To run all day is one thing. To keep pounding the trail through the night while racing against a ticking clock is a level of suffering few are willing to endure. But for Jeff Olpin, a 35-year-old \u201cRagnarian,\u201d running a 30-hour team relay is just his family\u2019s idea of a fun vacation. \u201cWe were sitting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":5487,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[416,596,359,138,143],"internal-tag":[1676],"class_list":["post-5481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-run","tag-chris-parker","tag-ragnar","tag-run","tag-united-states","tag-washington","internal-tag-pre-redirect-run"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/run\/family-vacation-for-the-olpins-running-a-ragnar-relay-is-the-perfect-getaway","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Family Vacation: For The Olpins, Running A Ragnar Relay is the Perfect Getaway","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/run\/family-vacation-for-the-olpins-running-a-ragnar-relay-is-the-perfect-getaway","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/run\/family-vacation-for-the-olpins-running-a-ragnar-relay-is-the-perfect-getaway"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/09\/Image-1-web.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2015\/09\/Image-1-web.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000"},"articleSection":"Run","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Angela Crampton"}],"creator":["Angela Crampton"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["chris parker","ragnar","run","united states","washington"],"dateCreated":"2015-09-09T18:46:07Z","datePublished":"2015-09-09T18:46:07Z","dateModified":"2018-11-12T06:03:28Z"},"rendered":"