Running the Relay Del Sol

Posted by Chris Holstrom, Technical Writer

At Google we like to do things fast -- that's why you get search results in a fraction of a second, and that's why 12 speedy Googlers traveled to Phoenix this past weekend to run the Relay Del Sol. The Relay Del Sol is a 187-mile overnight relay race through the Arizona desert.

Between the time Dan Brown started us off at 6 pm on Friday night and the time that I crossed the finish line at 1 pm Saturday afternoon, we each ran three grueling relay legs. Some of those legs were in the dark of night, with coyotes howling in the distance and us wearing lights and reflective gear to make us visible to cars. Other legs were in the heat of the desert sun -- and cacti don't provide much shade.

Through it all, we stuck to our aggressive goal pace of just over six minutes per mile. It was good that we could run that fast, because we faced some serious competition from the MarathonGIS team. After about 130 miles, they were just seconds behind us.

We responded to the challenge, though, and really turned it on for our third set of legs. As we approached the finish in Scottsdale, we had built up a solid lead. I knew that victory was within reach when I took the handoff for the final leg.

When I approached the finish, I saw my team waiting to cross the line with me. I pumped my arms in the air and flashed a huge smile, overwhelmed with the amazing teamwork and tremendous personal efforts that everyone contributed to the race. We came across the line together as the first place team. It was a great victory for us and an incredibly fun weekend.

Here's our team:


Back row, left to right: Belsasar Lepe, Eddie Higgins, Don Faul, Tom Phillips, Dan Brown, Sean Knapp.
Front row, left to right: Nathan Stoll, Chris Estwanik, Chris Holstrom, Jared Jacobs, Katie Hotchkiss, Bismarck Lepe.