Doing it all with No Shortcuts.
Abbey Hybl, Manager of Editorial Content for men’s performance brand, Rhone, runs us through her team’s grueling 150-mile relay race throughout California — all while outfitted in FP Movement.
One thought ran through my head as I looked up the incline I had yet to conquer – one foot in front of the other (with other words I won’t mention here). I had never in my life climbed such a steep stretch during a run and, if I were to have been alone, it’s not unlikely that I might have quit -– but that was not an option given this situation. Not when you’re part of a team that’s counting on you and supporting you throughout the 150-mile journey that is No ShortCuts: an unsanctioned relay race spanning California, from Los Angeles to sunny San Diego (which was unfortunately dark when we arrived around 10:45 PM PST).
Let’s take it back a few hours to the beginning…a 3AM wake-up call to get to the starting line by 4AM. Teammates Brian Levine (Rhone’s Senior Manager of Brand Marketing), Cameron Ahouse (Rhone’s Community Marketing Manager), and four Rhone Ambassadors – Matt Scarzello, Kristian Elvina, Zac Marion, and CJ Finely – and I met in the lobby of our hotel to make the walk to our 15-passenger sprinter van (dubbed “Benni” by the end of the weekend). We piled in and vibes were high – regardless of how anyone slept, how fueled or recovered we felt, it didn’t matter, we were ready. Driving through the streets of Los Angeles, we navigated to a parking lot where it was clear other teams had parked their vans and RVs…yup, RVs. As a team, we walked towards the 6th Street Bridge and towards the starting line. And just like that, Brian, our starting runner, was off, into the dark streets of LA with the first-in-line runners from all of the other teams.
The rest of us made our way back to the van and started to track Brian down. As a team, our system was simple – pull up next to our runner to check in and plan for the next checkpoint, while also ensuring they knew where to turn. Sounds like a simple task and while it was for the most part, there were certainly some moments of chaos. I can recall one specific incident when Matt (in his Crocs) chased down Zac after a turn was missed…not the only moment during the race when Matt would run in Crocs. After Brian ran his first 10 miles, I was up. I hopped out of the van and waited at the turn. A quick high five from Brian and I was off. It was about 5AM at this point and things were still dark, with only the occasional street light or traffic signal as my guide. Being the competitive individual that I am, I knew I wanted to bear my fair share of the weight in terms of mileage for the race and I had my sights set on 10 miles for my first leg – the furthest I had run in years. While I made it just shy of 10, I’m chalking the first leg up to a win.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to go over our “fit checks” – that’s what people are calling it these days, right? Our outfits, gear, attire. You’ve likely noticed that we’re challenging our community to stretch their limits in the Commuter Shirt. We’ve seen Nate, Rhone’s CEO, run a marathon in one. A handful of Ambassadors have put the shirt through strength training regimes, and more. So, naturally, we had to stretch the limits ourselves. A handful of legs during our 18-hour run were worn in the Commuter, in the dry heat, cooler evening and late night. We can confirm that they not only held up, but flowed with each stride and gave that breathability and flexibility you’d look for in a workout top (except it’s a dress shirt!). Not to mention, they dried up quickly, even in a van full of body sweat. When the guys weren’t dressed in a Commuter, it was a pair of Swift Shorts, a custom Swift Tank and a custom Distance hat from RNNR, with appearances from two different pairs of OG, come-and-gone styles of Rhone running shorts.
And as for the lady in the group?
I, on the other hand, was lucky enough to rock a few pieces from FP Movement. It was key (for all of us) to have multiple pieces of clothing on hand. Nothing brings down the mood like sitting in sweaty gear for a few hours. My first leg included the Under Control Bra and the Run For It Shorts.
While those dried, for the second and third legs I went with the It's An Illusion Crop and Good Karma Running Shorts (maybe the softest biker shorts I’ve ever worn). For the last leg, it was back to the Run For It Shorts and the Happiness Runs Crop Tank (most comfortable tank I’ve ever gotten my hands on? I think so). And I’d be remiss if I didn’t shout out the Pippa Packable Pullover Puffer which kept me cozy during the chillier morning hours waiting for my first leg and acted as a pillow during my rest time.
Okay, back to the race…
Next up, Kristian. Lucky for him, his leg started just as the sun came up over the distant mountains. And lucky for us, we got to witness it from the van. To no surprise, Kristian’s first leg was strong. Followed by the longest first leg from Zac, a 12-miler, and a hill-crushing leg from CJ (and to clarify, it was CJ who crushed the hills, not vice versa). Cameron, Chief Operating Officer of Benni, pulled a solid leg and then Matt hopped onto the streets for the final first leg, bringing home some of the fastest paces we’d see all day. I hope you’ve gathered that these teammates of mine showed up both as individual athletes and as one-of-a-kind teammates.
As darkness shifted into full morning, we were greeted with a warm light , the ability to fully see where each next step we'd take would be, a working bathroom, and coffee served in saucer cups from a local Mexican joint, and the second legs of the day approaching. I’ll be honest when I say that when leg two rolled around, things started to blur a bit. We had solidified our system for the day and the rotation started to feel like clockwork.
Run your leg. Hop in the van and head to the back row to recover, refuel and relax. Shift from runner to teammate, whatever that role looked like for each individual throughout the day.
Reach the finish line at rhone.com
One thought ran through my head as I looked up the incline I had yet to conquer – one foot in front of the other (with other words I won’t mention here). I had never in my life climbed such a steep stretch during a run and, if I were to have been alone, it’s not unlikely that I might have quit -– but that was not an option given this situation. Not when you’re part of a team that’s counting on you and supporting you throughout the 150-mile journey that is No ShortCuts: an unsanctioned relay race spanning California, from Los Angeles to sunny San Diego (which was unfortunately dark when we arrived around 10:45 PM PST).
Let’s take it back a few hours to the beginning…a 3AM wake-up call to get to the starting line by 4AM. Teammates Brian Levine (Rhone’s Senior Manager of Brand Marketing), Cameron Ahouse (Rhone’s Community Marketing Manager), and four Rhone Ambassadors – Matt Scarzello, Kristian Elvina, Zac Marion, and CJ Finely – and I met in the lobby of our hotel to make the walk to our 15-passenger sprinter van (dubbed “Benni” by the end of the weekend). We piled in and vibes were high – regardless of how anyone slept, how fueled or recovered we felt, it didn’t matter, we were ready. Driving through the streets of Los Angeles, we navigated to a parking lot where it was clear other teams had parked their vans and RVs…yup, RVs. As a team, we walked towards the 6th Street Bridge and towards the starting line. And just like that, Brian, our starting runner, was off, into the dark streets of LA with the first-in-line runners from all of the other teams.
The rest of us made our way back to the van and started to track Brian down. As a team, our system was simple – pull up next to our runner to check in and plan for the next checkpoint, while also ensuring they knew where to turn. Sounds like a simple task and while it was for the most part, there were certainly some moments of chaos. I can recall one specific incident when Matt (in his Crocs) chased down Zac after a turn was missed…not the only moment during the race when Matt would run in Crocs. After Brian ran his first 10 miles, I was up. I hopped out of the van and waited at the turn. A quick high five from Brian and I was off. It was about 5AM at this point and things were still dark, with only the occasional street light or traffic signal as my guide. Being the competitive individual that I am, I knew I wanted to bear my fair share of the weight in terms of mileage for the race and I had my sights set on 10 miles for my first leg – the furthest I had run in years. While I made it just shy of 10, I’m chalking the first leg up to a win.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to go over our “fit checks” – that’s what people are calling it these days, right? Our outfits, gear, attire. You’ve likely noticed that we’re challenging our community to stretch their limits in the Commuter Shirt. We’ve seen Nate, Rhone’s CEO, run a marathon in one. A handful of Ambassadors have put the shirt through strength training regimes, and more. So, naturally, we had to stretch the limits ourselves. A handful of legs during our 18-hour run were worn in the Commuter, in the dry heat, cooler evening and late night. We can confirm that they not only held up, but flowed with each stride and gave that breathability and flexibility you’d look for in a workout top (except it’s a dress shirt!). Not to mention, they dried up quickly, even in a van full of body sweat. When the guys weren’t dressed in a Commuter, it was a pair of Swift Shorts, a custom Swift Tank and a custom Distance hat from RNNR, with appearances from two different pairs of OG, come-and-gone styles of Rhone running shorts.
And as for the lady in the group?
I, on the other hand, was lucky enough to rock a few pieces from FP Movement. It was key (for all of us) to have multiple pieces of clothing on hand. Nothing brings down the mood like sitting in sweaty gear for a few hours. My first leg included the Under Control Bra and the Run For It Shorts.
While those dried, for the second and third legs I went with the It's An Illusion Crop and Good Karma Running Shorts (maybe the softest biker shorts I’ve ever worn). For the last leg, it was back to the Run For It Shorts and the Happiness Runs Crop Tank (most comfortable tank I’ve ever gotten my hands on? I think so). And I’d be remiss if I didn’t shout out the Pippa Packable Pullover Puffer which kept me cozy during the chillier morning hours waiting for my first leg and acted as a pillow during my rest time.
Okay, back to the race…
Next up, Kristian. Lucky for him, his leg started just as the sun came up over the distant mountains. And lucky for us, we got to witness it from the van. To no surprise, Kristian’s first leg was strong. Followed by the longest first leg from Zac, a 12-miler, and a hill-crushing leg from CJ (and to clarify, it was CJ who crushed the hills, not vice versa). Cameron, Chief Operating Officer of Benni, pulled a solid leg and then Matt hopped onto the streets for the final first leg, bringing home some of the fastest paces we’d see all day. I hope you’ve gathered that these teammates of mine showed up both as individual athletes and as one-of-a-kind teammates.
As darkness shifted into full morning, we were greeted with a warm light , the ability to fully see where each next step we'd take would be, a working bathroom, and coffee served in saucer cups from a local Mexican joint, and the second legs of the day approaching. I’ll be honest when I say that when leg two rolled around, things started to blur a bit. We had solidified our system for the day and the rotation started to feel like clockwork.
Run your leg. Hop in the van and head to the back row to recover, refuel and relax. Shift from runner to teammate, whatever that role looked like for each individual throughout the day.
Reach the finish line at rhone.com
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