Redline Team Relay 2023

That time I thought it would be a clever idea to do the Redline event and convinced my friends to join me because the tickets were 50% off!!! I must say that we must be one of the most relaxed teams despite being severely under-prepared. We only decided the night before the race who would be doing which segment.

The Exercises

These were the exercises we were given for this event. Luckily, Redline created reels on Instagram to show us what needed to be done. In the relay event, each team member must do three consecutive exercises before passing the timing chip to the next team member. So the first person does 1 to 3, the second 4 to 6, the third 7 to 9, and the fourth 10 to 12.

1. Run 400m.
2. Bike 30 to 40 calories at any setting. The default is set at 7 but you can change it.
3. 2 x 20 Sandbag squats and 20m lunges.
4. 40m sled pull.
5. 150m Farmer’s carry.
6. Rowing 30 to 40 calories at any setting. The default is set at 7 but you can change it.
7. Dead ball Burpee. Throw the ball as far as you can. Burpee and do standing broad jumps up to the ball with a burpee after each jump. Repeat until the end.
8. Sled push 2 x for 20m.
9. Pendulum shots – 25 or 50 shots.
10. Agility test – tap the light for 50 reps as fast as you can.
11. Ski erg – 20 to 40 calories at any setting. The default is set at 7 but you can change it.
12. Transport the sandbags away and then bring them back.

My slot was 7 to 9 which I felt fairly confident about after testing the sled in the trial area and practicing my balance on the bosu ball. Well, okay, I wasn’t sure about the bosu ball since I couldn’t practice throwing the ball against a wall – which is obviously different from throwing the ball to a teammate and having them throw it back at you. Your teammate will wait for you to be ready before they throw the ball back. The wall does not wait. The ball comes back whether you’re ready for it or not. Even if I could get a few throws in, I had serious reservations about throwing and catching 50 times.

We were lucky that they gave us a chance to practice the bosu ball because it really helped to practice getting my balance. The pick-up in the initial learning curve was quick. When we first tried to balance on the bosu ball, none of us could even get on it. After several tries, we went from getting the second foot on to being able to balance decently. The hardest part was throwing and catching. But not to worry, they said, you can always take the penalty if you can’t make it. The penalty is an additional 10 minutes on your race time for failing to complete the exercise. Since it was unlikely for us to place anyway, what’s an additional 10 minutes?

Even though we were just racing for the experience, my heart rate while waiting for my teammate to tag me was still elevated from nerves. I tried deep breathing and sitting down but it didn’t help much. I was also thrown by the exercises I had to do for a number of reasons.

• Firstly, I found out that the Dead Ball Burpee was two laps – not one! Crap.
• When I got there and picked up the ball, I nearly dropped it because it was heavier than I expected it to be. Those strong competitors before me made it look so easy!
• The sled was also heavier than I expected because the ones in the trial area had less weight on them. If only I’d known, I wouldn’t have been so quick to volunteer for this slot.

Deadball Burpee

When I picked up the ball for the first time, I couldn’t get it to my chest so I threw an underarm toss. The marshall picked the ball up and handed it back to me. “Only chest throws allowed,” he said. Bummer. When I managed a chest throw, the ball landed so close to me that it was embarrassing. Since my standing broad jumps were not great anyway, my ball was actually positioned two burpee/broad jumps away. My shoes felt slippery on the concrete so maybe I could have jumped further if I had better grip?

I was dying by the time I finished the first lap and was cursing my ball for not rolling further by the time I got onto the second lap. I’m sure I provided quite the entertainment for my marshall who cut me a lot of slack when my ball landed a few centimeters show of the finish line. Since I was in last place anyway, I kicked the ball over the line and looked pointedly at the marshall who returned an incredulous look at me before throwing his arms into the air and letting me go on to the next exercise.

Sled Push

It was heavy. My form could have been better. My right arm was on the point of buckling every time I applied pressure to push. I was sweating buckets onto the carpet so the marshall offered to get me water. I think he was worried I might faint then and there. My sled moved… very slowly. Luckily, it was only one lap. I don’t think I could have done two.

Pendulum Shots

This was probably the only thing that went as expected. I was as terrible at it as I thought I would be. Admittedly, I did surprise myself when I managed to throw and catch a few balls in succession. I really wanted to take the penalty but the marshall was so encouraging that it felt like it wasn’t an option to quit. I’m pretty sure she wasn’t supposed to count the balls I dropped but she did anyway. Clearly, I would be there until the next day if she insisted I had to catch every ball for it to count.

The Bosu ball at this station was a bit more deflated than the one in the trial area so it was easier to balance. Nevertheless, my feet were burning from all the balancing by the end of it. I have never been so grateful to pass the baton to my teammate.

Reflections

It went terribly. I should have trained more. I was completely out of place there – like I didn’t belong. The audacity to think I could compete against those elite sportspeople. But, the organisers didn’t stop us. They didn’t set requirements to join. So I guess I will be back next year. Something to motivate me to work harder, and be better.