The Seidel Family: Texas Independence Relay 2017 Complete!

Well, they did it! Vic came home really proud and ready to do it again next year! He said this might have been his most relaxed year yet, so it must get more fun every time you do it! I got to hear about every leg and every highlight throughout the evening, but here's the overall scoop:

Once again, 12 great guys to run with!
Once again, another great driver in Lucas's dad, Ronald (but we still missed you Dad!) and all of Vic's organized binders paid off.
The weather was SO hot. The first legs for everyone during the day were rough because even though it was in the high 70's, it felt like 85 or 90 to some of them. The night runs were cooler of course, but by the last legs the next day, it was back to pretty hot. Vic said he thinks this has been the hottest weather year so far for the race.
They got 200 kills during the race, which shows how many runners they passed. Impressive!
Vic felt good on all of his runs, but needs a much better watch. His was trying to give up on him and give him problems. He got his times though and they were great!
One hilarious story happened was when it was time to get lunch in Schulenburg on Saturday afternoon. The team usually wants to load up on carbs so they go get sandwiches from Subway. But, Wes's team last year went to Oakridge Smokehouse, and he wanted to go there again. Most of the crew said a definite NO to greasy fried food, but Vic and Mike joined Wes. So, Vic ordered a nice turkey sandwich and Mike ordered a burger. But, Wes needed some serious calories so he went to the buffet 3 times and loaded up with chicken fried steaks, sausage biscuits, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes and gravy. Then, he finished it off with two pieces of chocolate cake. He wanted peach cobbler but they were out of ice cream. ha! I seriously love telling this story because Wes is so fun and clearly so crazy because he still had many miles to run! Anyways, I couldn't stop laughing. Oh and he still ran less than 8 minute miles so I guess don't mess with what works for you!

What Vic needs to run a race.

What Wes needs to run a race.

Also, one of the best things for Vic was that he got 3 solid, hard, hours of sleep this time from about 12 to 3am. He said it took him 30 minutes to wake up and start comprehending what was going on around him again! haha!
Leg 3: 5.35 miles and he doesn't know the total minutes, but his pace was about 7:30. Between the hills, heat and dirt roads, it was his hardest leg. He started this leg at 1:45 pm on Saturday.
Leg 16: 6.82 miles in 50:59 with a pace of 7:28. This leg was also a mostly dirt road, and pitch black dark through the countryside, so it was tougher to see ahead of where he was going. He started this leg at 9:30 pm Saturday night and ended it at some giant grain silos for his exchange.
Leg 27: 6.25 miles in 45:44 with a pace of 7:19. This leg began in super swanky Cinco Ranch, still in the dark, around 5:30 am Sunday morning. Then, it immediately transitioned into George Bush Park, with absolutely no park lights. He relied on his headlamp and it was dark, but it was his favorite one to run this time.
Leg 38: 2.66 miles in 18:57 with a pace of 7:04. This leg began at noon on Sunday with a sweltering 81 degrees that felt like 100 degrees! This went through the Pasadena neighborhoods where the policemen stop traffic for the runners, but a lady got confused and almost hit Vic! But, this was his fastest leg of the race!
Overall, Vic ran 21 miles of the 200 mile race!
This next information is just amazing. So, the team was 7th in their division of 28 Open Men's teams. The crazy part? They completed the race in 25:46:51 with a 7:46 pace. Last year, their team completed it in 25:48:24 with a 7:46 pace. WHAT? How is it possible that they are so close? They even have two new members! And out of 191 teams, they were 20th. Amazing! For a side note, the winning team of the entire thing ran it in 6:13!
So, I just have to point out how awesome all of these guys are! I know they enjoy it and have a great time, but it is really really hard on their bodies and they are so exhausted at the end. And for the guys that still have to drive back to DFW from College Station, I feel so bad for them too. I mean, they are just beat! The upbeat mood from Saturday morning is so different from the tired, quiet mood of Sunday afternoon, as it should be! They are sweaty, tired, hungry, and sore. But, anyways, I say all of this because Vic's 3 hour power nap at night must have given him tons of energy. I had planned to feed us leftovers except for Vic, who I would go pick up any food he wanted to eat. But, he was so energized, he took Grace and went to HEB to grab stuff for fajitas. We put it on the grill, visited outside, and had the nicest evening. I know he will sleep hard tonight, but I loved getting to hear everything and see him after such a fun weekend for him!

Here are some more pictures!

Vic said they found great places to just sit back and rest!

I love this picture that Lucas got of Vic handing off to Matt at the end of his third leg. Also, the funny thing is Vic said you are supposed to "be cool and super smooth" and slap the bracelet onto the next runners arm and he said every single time he failed! haha! Towards the end, Matt was telling him to just hand it to him and he still dropped it. hahaha!

Vic said he took this picture as he ate his small breakfast taco and was wishing this place was open for a margarita!

Smith Fountain in the middle of Downtown Houston.

Almost there! They all run the last .08 mile together as a team to finish the race!

A team picture at the finish line! (minus Dave, who somehow ran all 3 legs super fast by 10pm because he had to fly to Chicago on Sunday for work! Now, that is team dedication!)