What began as an overnight running adventure in Utah has morphed into a Davis County business that helps thousands of Americans race through the night in tutus, tie-dyed clothing and a lot of wigs.
In five years, the Utahns that started with a lark of an idea -- run from Logan to Park City in about one day with a 12-person team -- have gone national, holding similar fund-raising races across the country.
They are adding New York, Los Angeles, Boston and Las Vegas in 2009.
And despite the economy's downturn, registration for the Wasatch Back, the Utah race in June that started it all, has filled up before deadline.
After being helmed by two 20-somethings for most of its five-year history, the company added a new CEO at the end of 2008 . Its races are organized in the same model as the Wasatch Back: Team members run multiple legs, often in costume, for more than 170 miles.
The for-profit company pairs with a charity partner that benefits from each race.
"There's something about being in a stinky van with six runners and running your second leg in the middle of the night on this brutal hill ... not sure you're going to make it and all of a sudden your vans pulls up and they've got Christmas lights," said Tanner Bell, 28, one of Ragnar's co-founders.
In a car-based world, the races help people get their feet on the ground and really see the landscape around them, runners say.
For Steve Hill and his son, Dan Hill, who are co-founders, the inspiration for the relays comes from a race from Oregon's mountains to its coast. Steve Hill first ran "Hood to Coast" in 1991, but had heard about it years before.
Hill remembers hugging Bell when runners began their first Wasatch Back. The growth of the race, which some people refer to as an adult slumber party, exceeded his expectations.
"This is the second largest relay in North America," he said.
Although businesses locally and nationally have talked about reducing donations and sponsorships, local fundraising walks and runs appear to be surviving, according to the Utah Nonprofits Association.
"It's very likely there's going to be some cutbacks, but in many ways it's a much easier [donation] than some other things are," said Don Gomes, the organization's executive director.
Ragnar's new CEO is Ken Jacquin, who had been a board member and enthusiastic runner. He previously worked as chief financial officer of Winder Farms and was an investment banker with Deutsche Bank.
The two Brigham Young University graduates who helped found Ragnar, Dan Hill and Bell, continue to push the company forward.
Their office is in Kaysville, where they can escape on a bike ride whenever they please and keep close to Farmington, their hometown.
And if you're wondering about Ragnar, here's the scoop: a Norse king from the Ninth century, he is remembered as a pirate and conqueror, wanderer and -- fittingly -- a wildman.
