We all know of the benefits of exercise, from decreasing waistlines to decreasing depression. However, exercise can negatively impact sleep… when you are running all night on a 46-square-mile pan of salt instead of snuggling in your 33-square-foot bed. If that sleepless/saline combo seems about as likely as hotdog fingers, you might be on to everything.

The Dusk to Dawn Relay + Ultra is a destination race that circles over the justifiably famous Bonneville Salt Flats from sunset to sunrise. With two-mile loops, teammates can rally in one place and lounge while awaiting their turn to make tracks. Jason and I have participated in this unique event consistently since its inaugural year back in 2019.

For 2022’s race, we had so many interested contestants we decided to form two teams. This decision was also promoted by the desire of some to separate into “competitive” and “casual” groupings. That is how the Na Squad and Na Squad Too came into being. Jason and I joined the “competitive” faction. Jason is speedy, and I was part of his combo deal.

While having a large company amplified the fun, it also amplified the stress. We had to replace two teammates in the weeks and days before the event thanks to a move and a bone fracture. Ever tried to find a friend who is willing to run all night in the middle of the desert with no time to train? Yup, it isn’t something people usually say yes to. Fortunately, we know a couple of people precisely that brand of cracked.

Although this race takes place at night in part to avoid the exposed heat of the West Desert, the area can be blazing even near dusk in September. It was 102 degrees when we arrived on the flats at 6:00 PM. With heat reflecting off the white salt like a stovetop mirror, it felt even worse. Hence, my throat remained parched for hours no matter how much spare liquid I consumed.

2022’s Dusk to Dawn Relay + Ultra included 94 participants, 14 teams and 14 ultra runners. Our competitive consortium completed 62 miles over the night, which resulted in us placing 5^th in six-person teams and 6^th overall. The casual team finished 46 miles. They came in 9^th in six-person teams and 10^th overall.

I contributed 12 miles to our team’s total and so did Jason. He managed to keep his pace between 7.0 and 7.5 minutes per mile for the entire night. One of his calves started hurting on his first lap thanks to a poorly planned intense run just days earlier. Luckily, since I am always prepared, I was prepped with Advil in case of just such an ill-timed boo-boo.

As for me, thanks to an injury, which later was determined to be a fractured talus and associated bone lesion, I had been forced to reduce my training for this event. My speed was sufficient considering my current situation but a disappointment after my performance the year before. I managed to stay close to a 10-minute mile on all but my last loop. That last lap, my knees were hurting something fierce; it was only with immense willpower that I even pulled a 12-minute mile.

While keeping a runner out on the course at all times was a primary goal, it wasn’t our only focus. The astronomy club from a local university set up enormous telescopes and participants got to view the Orion Nebula, Dumbbell Nebula, Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, and the moon at different points during the night. That was in addition to the omnipresent glistening balls of plasma peppering the heavens with their thermonuclear fusion.

As you might assume, I was stiff after this event concluded, particularly my knees and ankle. (Remember, my ankle was fractured. I just didn’t know it.) I loosened that leg tension with a mile walk hours after the relay, which made my grumbly parts much better. (I’d highly recommend that tactic for reducing post-race discomfort.) The next day, I felt fine, but Jason was still hurting.

While it may seem like only the nocturnally masochistic would find substituting sleep with running appealing, this race truly is a remarkable occasion even for the most self-preserving. Aerobic ambitions sprinkled with salt, dark skies sprinkled with stars, scratchy cots sprinkled with family member… Yup, this universe has got some crazy sh#t too.