We Had it All: My Favorite Ragnar Moment

The best part of doing a Ragnar Relay Race is the incredible life-long connection to someone you can experience simply by sharing a van and a race with them.

From Fat to Finish Line Van 2 - We're missing John on this for some reason

I've done three Ragnars and three times I've been blessed with walking away from the races feeling bonded for life to the people I shared a van with. 

There's just something about the cheering, supporting, running and the sleep deprivation that brings people closer together.

One of my very, very favorite memories ever was from Ragnar Miami - Key West FL. This was the Ragnar featured in the From Fat to Finish Line movie. Some of what didn't make it to the movie was our middle of the night shenanigans. We were all a little slap happy as we made our way to the next major exchange - where I would get the baton from Rik (Van 1) to kick off our van's legs. On the way to that exchange, we laughed, joked, hit up a Wendy's for ketchup and salt packets (don't ask) and sang songs. 

This was before my 2nd leg run and before the night took a bit of a dramatic turn.

Anyway, before there was carpool karaoke, there was us, team From Fat to Finish Line Van 2 passing the "Welcome to Key Largo" sign and cruising down the highway. We couldn't resist. And I'm not sure how or why this happened exactly but before we knew it, John Hulsey (AKA Captain Awesome - and one of the greatest guy you could have in your van) had pulled up the lyrics and music to this song: 

And we belted this out. It was so fricken fun! We were silly and just joyously sang. I recorded it on my phone and up until now it was just Van two's secret little video / song. Every time any of us hear the song, we smile and are reminded of this moment. Up until now - no one but van 2 has ever seen this video but now, I share with you, the Van 2 singers! 

Hope you enjoy! 

XO

Jen 

Ragnar Miami Our From Fat to Finish Line Five Year Anniversary

Five years ago I boarded a plane and flew to Miami Florida to run my very first Ragnar with 11 other very special people. It was the original From Fat to Finish Line team and none of us knew what to expect.

The group of us, about 1200 collective pounds lighter than we had once been was not only embarking upon a 200 mile Ragnar Relay Race but we were also being documented and filmed along the way.

Director Angela Lee and I filming at the start

As a producer, I expected to be more the one telling the story than someone being a part of the story. If you've seen the film, you know that wasn't the case.

That experience. All of it. The people, the run, the film, has profoundly changed my life.

It was a tough race for me. Filled with both struggle and failing but also graced with the triumph of getting up and moving forward. I was also blessed with the gift of having the love and support of my team when things were falling to shit and I was falling apart.

That experience was super significant for me and in a lot of ways really represents this whole other journey I'm on.

There are ups. There are downs. There are moments where you feel like you've got it all together and there are moments where you feel like quitting. Ultimately, though, there's only one way to the finish line. As long as you keep on moving forward - whether it's losing 100 pounds or crossing 200 miles - as long as ya keep moving, you (and I) will get to the finish line. There's just no giving up. It's OK to struggle and it's OK to have setbacks it's all apart of it.

And oh yeah. It doesn't hurt to have 11 other or 20,000 fellow teammates or tribe to help you get up when you're down.

If you haven't found our FFTFL tribe on Facebook, please join us here. We're there to help you when you're struggling and cheer you on in your successes.

If you haven't seen the documentary film - please check it out. It was such an honor to be a part of that team and film. It's on Netflix, iTunes, Amazon and DVDs can be ordered directly from our store. 

XO
Jen

Ragnar Relay race review: The Finish Line

Ragnar Relay race review - THE FINISH LINE

If you want to read the saga that was Ragnar for me (the good, the bad/ugly and the great) then -

Read first:
part 1: Best day ever
part 2: We had it all
part 3: My darkest hour
part 4: Redemption

I am sorry for the fifty part series here but it was so epic and so much going on that in order to really document the journey, I saw no other way then to break it down in five parts. If you've read all of them, thank you for indulging me.

So after I redeemed myself with my last leg run - it was still up to the rest of the team to finish their legs.  I was excited and ready for the finish line. This was it!

We rooted and cheered off  Linda, Jen, Allison, Carly on their runs. And finally it was John's turn. John donned his "Captain Awesome" cape and headed off. We were now so close to the finish line we could taste it!

Van one, had finished a few hours earlier so got to mill around town, perhaps grab a cocktail and finish up Today Show Interviews. Lucky ducks! We couldn't wait to reunite with the rest of the team. As John made his final run, we headed to the finish line area. It was a madhouse down there but the expert navigation of Allison and Jen up front had us finding a parking spot a half a block from the finish line and right if front of Van 1!

We excitedly piled out of the van and quickly found the rest of our team. Kerry Sanders from the Today Show was hanging out as was camera men and the producer from Today show. Too cool! Our own documentary crew was there too and all of it made us feel like a lucky bunch. It occurred to me that I'd be able to relive this special moment again! So awesome.

I chatted with van 1 and especially thanked Katie for being there for me that morning in my hour of despair. It was so great to talk to van 1 and the biggest bummer of the whole thing (even bigger than my 3 am running debacle) was the fact that we didn't get to all do it together.  I wanted to hang out with van 1 so much more but that's not how the race is set up. Everyone was kind of bummed by the fact that we missed out on getting to know the other vans. We all joked that next time we're renting a big 'ol bus so we can all stick together the whole time :-)

Soon enough, we saw John and his awesome cape trailing behind and we all joined hands and bolted triumphantly for the finish line! We did it. We were team "From Fat To Finish Line" and we did it! We overcame heat, set-backs and tummy troubles - we did it. What an awesome moment. It was exhilarating, special and just absolutely joyful. It was a moment to relish forever.

We hugged, shed a few tears and then our Captain, Rik, presented each of the teammates with our medals. It was great.

We then milled about. Jen and I called it a night because we were famished and exhausted.

The one thing I do regret is not hanging out an extra day. Most of the team stayed in Key West for a few days and I left early-ish the next day. It would've been an awesome way to hang out with everyone  and I could've used a day of non-running, cocktails and food, fun. Oh well. I won't make that mistake next time. (And yes. There will be a next time.)

I did at least get a delicious breakfast in before departing (and it was the best damn breakfast I ever had.)

Best breakfast ever

This was one of the highlights of my life and I'm so thankful and blessed to have made friends with all of these wonderful people. I'm soooo lucky that Katie thought of me to include me on the team to begin with. And I'm thankful that despite not knowing how I'd afford it, and everything else, I just took the leap and said yes.

XO
Jen

PS: If you didn't get to see Today Show about the team - here's the link to the piece

Ragnar Relay Race review Part 2: We had it all

Ragnar race recap Part 2 --  read Part 1 here.

So, dusk is setting in and Katie takes off for Van 1 and Van 2 decides to take the opportunity to find a 'real' meal (all day we pretty much snacked on bananas, apples, nuts and that type of stuff) I suddenly realized that I was famished and with a ten mile run ahead I had to eat ASAP. It didn't take much coaxing, we all were pretty hungry.

Because of my gluten/dairy restrictions, the team agreed to try a place called Pollo Tropical. We used to have a couple of those where I live in Jersey. It's basically a Boston Market type place with Cuban food. I was able to get white rice, black beans and roasted chicken for dinner. The food was good and everyone enjoyed their meal. I skipped the salsas and hot sauces because I wanted to keep the meal as bland as possible.

my dinner minus the roll

Unfortunately, my strategy didn't really work because as usual, my tummy decided to give me trouble and bothered me for most of the rest of the trip. Such is my life. I know that nerves, stress, not eating regularly and being out of a routine wreak havoc on my digestion system and I can check all those boxes off. Oh well.

As we started our trek down Florida for our next transition point where I was to run we had some really fun times in the van. First, there was the great "salt caper." I knew I needed little packets of salt to help my night run so we decided to crash a Wendy's for it. I also needed a plastic knife to spread my peanut butter on the rice cakes I had purchased earlier. I felt very shady as I went into Wendy's, slid up to the condiment station, stole the salt and made off like a bandit. I played it up for the van and jumped in and made them pull away like I had just stolen the hope diamond!

The pepper is sad because I stole his friend 

Then, we entered Key Largo, Flo. Of course this prompted a van sing-a-long of epic proportions. We all just had to sing this old "Key Largo" song. Even Carly (who had never heard the song) got into it, John found a version with lyrics and we did the song Karaoke style. It really was so much fun. Nothing like a group sing-a-long to keep things going.



Eventually, we made it to the transition where we had about 2 hours to catch a nap before running. I am  not a good "on the fly" type sleeper. I was so amped that I probably would've had trouble sleeping at the Ritz Carlton, so sleeping in a van in my running gear just wasn't happening. I closed my eyes and rested for a bit - until my tummy forced me to get up and find a potty.

Should I sleep or run?

Eventually the rest of the van began to wake up and it was time for me to really get ready for my run. I was nervous! My stomach was bad, plus I was fearful of the pitch black, critters in the night and even crazy people in the woods… but still, I was sure that I would run this run and be relieved and exhilarated by the end for accomplishing such a feat! And in spite of the not-so-great tummy, it was a fun night and the team was feeding off the high of the day and the fun of this adventure.

Van 1 pulled up and tried to get me pumped up. I was getting excited but I also worried. We ate that dinner at 7:30PM it was now 3AM in the morning. I wasn't hungry and since my tummy was flipping, I'd only managed to choke down a half of rice cake. The heat and the humidity of the day kept us pretty zapped and I was probably woefully far from being properly hydrated. Still I had hopes this run was going to work out.

Rik came in for the transition and began running the first quarter of a mile with me, just to make sure I was going to be OK. I thanked him and bid him adieu. I took off. I felt pretty good for the first 3 miles… and then the wheels began to fall off and I began to descend into a very dark place that had nothing to do with the time of day. The best day of my life began to slowly turning into my worse nightmare.

The story continues… READ PART 3 HERE.

XO
Jen

RAGNAR RELAY Race review - Part 1 Best day ever

From Fat To Finish Line's Ragnar run

Where do I even start?

I arrived mid-day Thursday which was a whirlwind of picking up film crew members and getting situated! 

So much was going on! There was the TODAY SHOW which interviewed four teammates: Katie, Rik, Carly and Ada. It made sense why the show decided to highlight these four teammates. Katie and Rik put the team together, Ada is a former Biggest Loser and it's kind of cool to see "where are they now" and BL happens to premiere this week, and Carly because she still is in the process of losing weight and she was the newest member of the team.

The Today show piece will air on Thursday morning January 10th. I have no idea what time or which hour but I'm very excited!!

After their interviews, we headed to a little Italian place for dinner.  The Today show filmed us all meeting for the first time. We were all excited and overjoyed to be meeting each other and gathered under one roof. It was awesome to be surrounded by all of these people who have become close friends over the course of nearly a year.

We were anxious, however, to get back to our rooms to turn in for a good night sleep.

I slept so/so. I was too excited to sleep but got a few hours in, before my alarm sounded at 4:45 for our 5:30 AM meet at the van time.

This was it!!

We got to the location where it was a flurry of activity. Once again The Today Show was on location to shoot the start line. Katie was runner #1 and was going to kick off the run. Unfortunately, her start time was 7AM and her safety briefing was taking forever! They were ticking down the seconds and Katie was rushing to get to the start line - talk about nerve-racking!

But she made it, WHEW. And it was so cool because she was front and center and ready to get it going! 

Van 2 was excited to support Katie coming into her first leg - she looked strong - but hot! We were all in for a steamy, hot day of running.

Katie, Runner #1 finishing her first leg

The rest of Van 1 ran their legs while we in Van 2 went and fueled up on some Starbucks oatmeal and coffee and then headed to the major exchange point where we got safety briefed. I was runner #7 which meant I was the first from my van to run. I was getting nervous but excited! I was also concerned with the heat. It was already almost 90 degrees with the heat index and 98 degrees humidity. I knew I had to slow it waaaay down if I didn't want to burn myself up and screw myself up. I had to save a lot for that middle of the night, 10 mile run.

The whole team is awesome. I feel like we are beyond friends now, like family. And my first taste of what it means to have such a family is the support I got on my legs.

Our van featured all of our before and afters - it was a hit!

Rik from Van #1 is announced into the check point, in he comes, slaps me with the relay bracelet and off I go.  My van-mates formed a human bridge and chanted "Go Roe" as I took off. It was so fun…. and hot. Whew. 

At mile 1 my team was set up and waiting. Linda was holding up a sign, "Rock and Roe" and my team was cheering me on - handing off water, asking if I needed anything. I felt like a Nascar race driver. I got the supplies that I needed and ran off again. Most of the time, I was being tailed by a camera for the documentary. I have now come to realize that I'm going to look absolutely insane in this movie. When I run I sing, I play air drums, I "Jersey girl" fist pump away to my favorite songs, I hoot, I holler. These tactics keep me preoccupied especially during tougher runs. Do you think it would occur to me to contain myself with a camera on me? Naaaah. Fantastic. Oh well. 

"Go Roe"

I finally end my 4.1 mile run and hand off to teammate Linda - and she is off for a brutally hot 7 mile run, followed by Jen, Allison, Carly and John. We offered van support for all of the runners as it was just soooo fricken hot it was dangerous. 

John is runner #12 so as 12, he hands off back to Runner #1, Katie to take off again and into the night. This type of transition is called a "major transition" and there's a whole lot of activity that goes on there. While walking from the van to the transition, I bump into BART YASSO!! I was so excited. 

I'm so happy in this picture to meet him, I could cry:

best part of this pic is the photo bomber - lol

What was even cooler, was just the day before, BART YASSO emailed me! He caught wind that our team was running and being documented and sent me this note: 

I mean. Are you kidding me!! Who gets an Email from Bart Yasso!!??

So, pretty awesome day - right? After Katie heads out after John came in, we decide to head out for some dinner and get ready for our loooong night ahead…

PART 2 of the story continues here.

XO

Jen

Ragnar Florida Keys… This is it!

team dinner

I can't believe it's here!!

As I sit in a dark hotel room as team mate Ada Wong (from season 10's Biggest Loser) sleeps  - I just had to write a quick post. I can barely contain my awe and excitement.

It's been a surreal day of travel and seeing everyone all together for the first time!

 The Today Show interviewed a bunch of our teammates - YES! From Fat To Finish Line will be featured on The Today show!! It's going to air sometime next week. I will keep you posted.

Then we all had dinner at an Italian restaurant and they even gave me gluten-free pasta.

It's 9:55 PM and I should try to wind down and sleep. Alarm is set for 4:45 AM.

Talk to you on the other side!

XO
Jen