PART 2 (Day 0)

One of the priorities that I set in the early stages of planning was ‘Community: The people and the connections made are what I remember most from these races. I hope we’ll build memories and feel a real sense of community by the end of it.”

Building that community and connection started well before we arrived in LA with video calls, route sharing, and advice passed between past and future solo runners. As a big planner, I was so grateful for all those who shared their knowledge and time with me, especially given how little info is out there about this race.

I arrived in LA excited to meet the other runners and got to meet Zack, Malcolm, and Rob at the Bandit Running happy hour on Saturday night. It was great to get to talk with them all and to meet a bunch of Rob’s crew. We instantly hit it off and I left the happy hour with my cheeks hurting from laughing. A good sign of what was to come.

In a planning call before the race, Nils suggested we bring a ‘playa gift’ - something we could share with other teams that represented ours and would spark conversation and connection. My team settled on a glittered running shoe (kids’ size for easier packing) that was a nod to the all-female Mardi Gras Krewe of Muses, a tribute to our city and the fact that our crew was also all-female. At the pre-race meeting, it was really fun to meet the rest of the solo runners and give them their little glittered shoe as a good luck token from the New Orleans team. 

With a field this small, I was grateful for the chance to meet everyone before we headed out on our big adventure. We’d likely not spend too much time running with each other but were completing this massive challenge at the same time (alone, but together) and would have a unique understanding of what the others’ had gone through. 

After the pre-race meeting, my team headed to find parking for the RV near the Santa Monica Pier. We ate dinner and then got to work organizing the RV. I laid out my clothes for the next morning and settled down for a few hours of sleep before the start of the race at 4am. 

It was finally time to run!