LANGLEY — More than 3,000 wacky racers and vans full of fans turned Langley into a festive finish line for a grueling 187-mile relay race Saturday.

It was the end of a journey that began Friday near the Canadian border, skirted the sea near Bellingham Bay and traversed three counties before ending in exhaustion on South Whidbey.

This year’s Northwest Passage Ragnar Relay drew more than 280 teams with a dozen runners on each, some serious runners and others, not so much.

One first-time racer took in the scenery more than watching the clock. He said the legs of the race were a scenic surprise. Runners each took on three stretches of the 36-leg relay, ranging from three to eight miles.

“My legs were amazing,” said Austin Luedtke of The Ragin’ Cajuns from Silverdale. “My second one was beautiful — I had a footbridge that crossed the water right at dusk. It was awesome.”

The finish line was a sight to behold, as well.

The Island County Fairgrounds were festive, and music blasted at the end of the course — a 20-foot-high orange inflatable arch — as each team completed their final leg. An official Ragnar organizer greeted runners as a crowd cheered, whistled and clapped.

It was a big crowd, too, as most of the teams from previous legs waited for their teammates to arrive. The cheers came mostly for finishing, and not finishing first. Like Ragnar Relays across the country, the Northwest Passage — now in its fourth year — emphasized fun more than the run.

It was obvious as support vans pulled in, adorned with team names and decorations. One white van had its team mascot, a tyrannosaurus rex, attached to the top and the passenger side. It was Trail Rex, a team from Colorado, that had inflatable dinosaurs and some extra dinos drawn on the sides, too.

The Denver-based team had some veteran Ragnar Relay runners. Annie Wagner ran in her fifth Ragnar Relay and her first Northwest Passage, but was unable to finish her final leg (28) after irritating an old knee injury.

Compared to her more local Ragnar Relay in Utah — Wasatch Back — Washington’s race was a jog, she said.

“It was nice and calm and easier,” Wagner said. “This was nice because there was no dancing.”

As part of the non-competitive spirit, some Ragnar Relays require dancing during the baton hand-offs.

There wasn’t much dancing during exchanges at the Northwest Passage race. There was, however, plenty of smooth moves at the finish line. Teams circled around their final racer as they entered the fairgrounds from Camano Avenue.

The light spirit of the event drew one team of pink-wearing women. Team BARBs (Bad A** Running Babes) rested in their van while they anticipated their final runner to finish about 11:30 that morning. They had an eclectic group, with one BARB, Megan Weed, running in her fifth Ragnar Relay, while another, Kelly Cogswell, finishing her first.

Racers had staggered start times and were split between two vans of six runners each. The first van would drop off and pick up the first six racers along the first six legs of the relay before the second van began its route.

While the first six runners of many teams waited for their teammates from the second van, many rested. Runners napped in sleeping bags scattered across the fields at Langley Middle School and under trees.

For those paying attention to the clock, the overall winners finished in 18 hours, 55 minutes and 32 seconds.

Klicks Running & Walking from Everson ran in the competitive “Male Running Store” category, a group of teams sponsored by running stores. Klicks got a late start at 4:20 p.m. Friday, and finished about 11:15 a.m. Saturday; their final time was almost two hours faster than the second-place team.

The race draws teams across the country but was well-represented by home state runners. Six of the top 10 teams were from Washington.

One hometown team from Langley, the Home Runners, finished 24th overall. The Langley crew finished second in its category in 24 hours, 35 minutes and 43 seconds.

Each of the runners received a medal and a running shirt, with more prizes for reasons unrelated to running. Teams won awards for costumes, decorating their vans and team names.

The Ragin’ Cajuns, a team from Silverdale, finished 92nd overall. They didn’t win any awards, but one of their racers should have won an award for fashion courage.

Luedtke, who is stationed in Silverdale with the Navy, wore an orange full-body lycra suit during his second leg.

“It’s actually pretty comfortable,” Luedtke said.

Ben Watanabe can be reached at 221-5300.