Ragnar isn't a race you just show up to. Between the overnight running, minimal sleep, and back-to-back legs, it demands a different kind of preparation. Whether it's your first relay or you're just looking to stop feeling wrecked by leg two, this is where to start.
Ragnar is unlike almost any race you've done before. Whether you're running a relay with a van full of friends or grinding through a trail course overnight, the challenge isn't any single leg — it's the cumulative toll of running hard, sleeping little, and doing it all over again. It's less about peak fitness and more about how well you manage your body across 24-plus hours of effort.
To help first-timers do it right, we asked Dr. Megan Roche — elite ultrarunner, Stanford researcher, and coach who's guided athletes through Ragnar events and multi-day FKTs — to share her approach. She came back with four things that matter most: sleep, recovery, fueling, and caffeine strategy.
Over to Megan:
Sleep
I've coached a number of Ragnar events and long FKTs where athletes have short windows to sleep or nap between sessions. It can be helpful to develop a pre-sleep routine (5-10 mins) in advance of the event so that your body recognizes that it's time to start winding down. I find that things like a calming song, familiar scents (like lavender!), and gentle mobility can be helpful for winding down and preparing the body for short sleep sessions.
Things like the Dream Recovery sleep mask or white noise makers can be essentials for the short nap window. I sleep with creek sounds at night and it kind of sounds like I'm sleeping in the middle of a creek.
Recovery
For recovery, I like a dual-source carb recovery drink with protein for something that's easier on the stomach and efficient for recovery. My favorite is the SiS Beta Recovery drink mix. My other favorite recovery drink options are Skratch Horchata (so tasty!) and Gu Roctane drink mixes.
For Ragnar, it can be helpful to focus on recovering muscles between legs. There's some evidence (though mixed depending on which recovery marker you look at) on tart cherry for muscle recovery. I find that tart cherry is tasty, and since I mix it with water, it encourages beneficial hydration anyway! My favorite is the Cheribundi Tart Cherry Pure Concentrate, which I mix with water and have after my SIS Beta Recovery. Some gentle massage with a Theragun or other massage device can also help between sessions.
Fueling
Higher carb fueling during the race legs can help with performance and recovery. For fueling, my favorites are the Enervit Mango (Tadej's secret gel) and the Strykr 50g gels (love the convenience of having 50g in a gel).
Caffeine
Strategic use of caffeine can be helpful for making the body feel good during race windows. I usually structure this in a more focused way later in an event when fatigue is a bit higher. My favorite caffeine sources are the Precision 100 mg caff gel (a little stronger) and the Enervit Liquid Citrus (the 25mg caffeine can be gentler close to sleep windows or earlier on in an event).
The Takeaway
Ragnar rewards the athlete who prepares for the full picture — not just the miles, but the hours in between. Build your pre-sleep ritual before race weekend so it's automatic when you're exhausted in a parking lot at 2 am. Have your recovery nutrition ready at the van before you even cross the finish line of each leg. Fuel higher-carb than you think you need, and time your caffeine so it's working for you, not keeping you awake when you need rest most.
Get those pieces right and your first Ragnar won't just be a finish — it'll be the kind of experience that has you signing up for the next one before the weekend is over.
