When it was all said and done, another Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay was in the books with nearly 13,000 racers having crossed the finish line at Park City High School sometime Saturday.

The colorful and testing marathon, which began in Logan Friday and finished here Saturday, was a 192-mile trek featuring teams of 12 runners each of whom ran three separate legs. However, some high-profile squads, called ultra teams, ran with just six members.

The race, billed as a 192-mile party, was showcased by team members crossing the line dressed as aliens, Santa Claus, Batman, Superman or even a giant bird. One team ran dressed as rap icon M.C. Hammer, another as ballerinas.

The Wasatch Back is arguably Ragnar’s most popular race, and with a record turnout this year, the annual show did not disappoint spectators.

Mike Nielsen of West Jordan ran his second consecutive Ragnar relay dressed in a full-on Gingerbread Man costume. His team name? The Gingerbread Men.

“We’re 12 tough cookies,” he said.

“It’s just a fun way to enjoy the race,” Nielsen added. “Gingerbread men are fast ‘run, run, as fast as you can’.”

With a deep snowpack still intact in the higher elevations, Guardsman Pass, one of the relay’s toughest legs, was plowed and cleared at the last minute in order for racers to make it through.

One runner described it as “running through a giant cooler, with huge mounds of snow on each side of you.”

Nielsen said he preferred this year’s course to that of his inaugural Ragnar relay.

“They made some big changes,” he said, “But they were fine. They handled everything well. I really liked it this year compared to last year.”

“I was the No. 12 runner last year, and I had to finish. Last year was really tough. Again, they did a really good job. It was a lot of fun.”

The finish-line extravaganza was held at Dozier Field this year, compared to the base of Canyons Resort a year ago. Chad Englestead and his team of life long runner’s, seven of whom work at The Runner’s Corner in Orem, said the store has had a team in the Wasatch Back since its inception eight years ago.

The team was decked out in brightly-colored paint and one team member said they were trying to channel their inner “Avatar” look. The look certainly worked out the team finished second overall in the men’s category finishing with a time of 19:43:44.

“It went really well for us this year,” Englestead said.

Steve Soelberg, one of the emcees at the finish line Saturday, is a runner himself. He works at the University of Utah hospital and also does stand-up comedy. When Ragnar approached him to emcee a year or so ago, Soelberg jumped at the opportunity.

After participating in his first ever run last year at the Wasatch Back, he then ran the Ragnar relay in Phoenix, Ariz., a few months later. With 14 other races across the country, Soelberg flew out to Chicago, Ill., last month to announce the relay in the Windy City.

“It’s been really fun,” he said of announcing relays. “I’m a runner. I’m used to being on the microphone and saying things, but I really like running. I’d love to do it more.”

This race isn’t a secret. This year’s Wasatch Back sold out within a few months, and had roughly 700 teams on the waiting list.

Didi Sharp and her team, the Cereal Killers, didn’t have to sit nervously on the waiting list. Rather, her team finished with its best time yet, finishing around 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

Sharp said her only qualm was that she would have liked to have had more elaborate and specific exchange points on the trail. She said her team lost some time over-driving a bit.

“We had a great time,” she said. “I think we’ll be back next year. We’ll probably be the same; we’ll be the Cereal Killers again.”

A man who was identified only as Santa Claus said, “It was quite a sight to see everyone crossing the finish line in Santa hats.”

The Brigham Young University team finished first overall in the Wasatch Back with a time of 18:38:18.

Local team The Pavement Pirates, finished fourth overall in the coed category with a time of 23:05:58, while Team Name/RagStock, another Park City-based team, finished eighth overall in the coed category with a time of 23:32:32.