Drama, part The Second

So what happens DURING the race?  What do you need to know if you are signing up for one of these wacky events?

1. The morning of will be a mad scramble.  Everyone is going to bring more crap than you thought they would, and you're going to have to cram it all into that van, AND get to the start on time.  Plan for extra time, and make sure everyone knows who's bringing a foam roller so that there aren't 6 of them rolling around in the van.
2. It will not be just like you planned.  I don't care how many Twofer Tuesdays you've been doing, there's a big difference when you sit in a van for 6 hours, and then run an 8 mile leg by yourself.. in the dark.  Accept that you can't totally prepare yourself for this.
3. The night run will be creepy.  It's dark out there.  If you can find someone on another team with a similar pace, ask if they mind if you run with them.  They'll probably be grateful!  It will also help pass the time, since there's no real sense of it when you're running into a funnel of light in the middle of nowhere.
4. Not all drivers are nice.  The course will not be closed.  Run against traffic, and be prepared to jump off to the side if needed.  Did you read about what someone did at the Ironman Chattanooga?  Some people are just dicks.. be ready for it.
5. You will hit the wall.. especially if you don't watch what you eat.  Don't nosh on bars and Gus the whole time, eat some real damned food.  Even if you do, there's a good chance you may just mentally be ready to check out by the time you get to your third leg.  I still remember the text from somebody last year - "need Nuun and Bodyglide.".  We turned the van around, provided the requested supplies, and paced our runner in to finish up!  It's hard.
6. The finale is a little... anti-climatic.  Especially if you are in Van 1.. you get there, but you don't actually get to cross the finish line yet.  You hang out, do whatever, cheer on the other Van, and wait for the last runner before you cross the finish line as a team.  Kinda weird to get to the party and then wait.