I might need to admit that I never really went out my way to do the Hood to Coast Relay, even though it has been a big deal and on the radar for more than 40 years. The Mother of All Relays. Something about staying up all night and running relay legs on highways, city streets and backroads for some 20 hours (give or take, depending on the competitiveness of your team) or up to 30 hours did not seem all that appealing. Not to mention the need to cut back some to prepare and then recover for a week or more from the effort did not seem to fit into my training schedule for late summer races.
Going back to the late 1980s I had been asked a few times to run Hood to Coast, or similar events like the Klondike Relay in the Yukon (was asked just this year!). However, I always had work or travel commitments.
Most recently, in 2023, the Boulder Road Runners (BRR) 50s+ team wanted to put together a team to go for the “Supermasters” record, which had been set by the renowned Bowerman Track Club some 20 years prior. I declined because I would be returning from a two week trip to Europe just before that, for our son’s wedding, and would be too broke and behind at work to make a five day trip to the West Coast. I have to admit there was a bit of FOMO before, during, and after as the guys from Boulder went out and did what they set out to do. They ran the course record averaging an astonishing 6:17 per mile. It would have been great to be part of that epic weekend.
2025
That was then.
Tamara and I just moved to the Midwest this summer and I am switching team alliances for the USATF races, but as still a member of BRR and having been friends with these guys for years, and without hesitation I said yes when they asked this spring. It seemed like a fun thing to do, I’m retired and not working anymore, and my early fall season was fairly open. So why not as a last hurrah with the club, albeit the younger age group. I would be 8 years older than the next oldest on the team.
Age is just a number, right?
Although I readily agreed for the opportunity to run that does not mean that there was no trepidation! I thought about it a lot all summer and was a little nervous. Could I handle the expected paces on three legs and how would I hold up in the middle of the night?
Originally, and for the entire summer they had me down for two fairly easy and one kind of challenging legs covering 3.9, 4.1 and, and 7 miles. However, things went south over the final week or so as two runners pulled up with injuries. There were some back up runners, but there was some shuffling and last minute additions.
The goal this year was to break the record again, our leaders Chris and Flavio felt that there were enough glitches in 2023–including injuries and substitutions, getting lost, pacing in the heat, and getting the vans through traffic at the exchange zones–that the 2025 crew could surpass the the record by a decent margin (5 or 10 minutes) if everything worked well.
Travel and Setup
More than half of our team had been on the 2023 team, and several of them had done the race on other teams in prior years. Their knowledge and experience were invaluable, and we seemed pretty dialed in with the logistics.
We all met in Portland on Thursday and got a tour of the Nike Headquarters in Beaverton. You don’t get more Oregon than that! The highlight was seeing the futuristic Nike campus and famous buildings (some of which have had to be renamed in recent years due to controversies surround some former athletes/coaches, i.e., Alberto Salazar and Joe Paterno). Nevertheless, the tour was fascinating, and the highlights for me were venturing into the atrium of the Lebron James research and development building (no photos allowed), the Seb Coe display including his gold medals from the 1980 and 1984 Olympics and his training logs, and the Michael Johnson track (speaking of controversy! I do hope that he pulls Grand Slam Track back together, or at least keeps out of jail for millions of dollars of non-payment).
Futuristic Nike Campus
Sebastian Coe’s Olympic medals and memorabilia
Lane 1 Michael Johnson Track
One of the more interesting things on the tour was a display in the Lebron James building that had some Nike memos from the past. I could not take a picture but they had a simple single sheet outline, typewritten and probably from the early or mid-early 1970s, that described the Nike credo in those early days. I wish I could remember more, but it had about a dozen sentences in outline form. Here are ones that I remember:
Be bold
Your work does not stop with the clock and you are not finished until the job is done!
Work with your peers
Be willing to take chances
You may offend people along the way (but that’s okay, and expected)
Keep connected to the sport
I thought that these really exemplified the super-competitive, take no prisoners of the Nike brand, i.e., no limits.
Lane 1 Michael Johnson Track
After the tour we stopped at the Nike store and with a special discount most of bought some shoes.
We had dinner at the house of a relative of one of our runners, which made good for some team bonding and introduction of newer runners. We went over the final logistics. Most people would run on the legs that they were scheduled to do, but some had additions and switches, and I had a complete overhaul of relay legs. Instead, I would be in a different van (Van 1) and would run legs of 4.1, 6, and 5.7 miles. So a little further than the original plan and at completely different times: approximately 11:30 AM 7:30 PM on Friday, an at 1:30 AM on Saturday. I actually liked the change in timing, knowing that I expected be done by 2:30 or so in the morning instead of 7:30 or 8 AM.
We stayed a sleazy hotel in east Portland, not far from downtown. There were a lot of jokes about hookers and coke. We got our gear together and settled in by 10 PM. I slept okay, not great, maybe 6.5 hours.
After a quick breakfast run at a funky coffee shop a few blocks away, we loaded our gear and selves into the vans at 7:30 sharp and headed to Mt. Hood, which was about 1:45 away.
As we got onto the highway we started noticing other team vans all loaded up with runners and graffiti. It’s kind of a tradition to pain up your van with team identification and some smart and saucy comments. We found ourselves driving for a half our alongside the 12 Olivias, and noticed that they appeared to be a team of 20 or 30-something women. We kidded our driver Glenn (one of the most talented runners in the club but unable to run due to injury) as he tried to keep up with the Olivias. Eventually they did speed off, leaving us old guys in the dust.
Van graffiti
“Talk is Cheap Fellas” said the announcer to Boulder Roadrunners as they started their successful record quest in 2023. Here is Van 1 in 2025.
Van 2 before they marked it up.
The Actual 12 Olivias; 12 women whose real name is Olivia, recruited for the relay by an Olivia on Instagram
We had nearly and hour and a half to mill around the ski lodge and parking area at Mount Hood, gawking at the volcanic heap, rising nearly 6,000 feet higher than our elevation of 5,800 feet, the views of the nearby valleys and other peaks (Mt. Jefferson to the south), and of course other vans and runners as they prepped for the staggard start, with a dozen teams going off every 10 or 15 minutes through the morning and early afternoon. We took pictures and got ourselves ready for 196 miles of road.
Our intrepid Supermasters Team, from left to right: Rick, Me, Todd, Garry, Frank, Brian, Eric, Flavio, Chris, Kevin (kneeling), Glen, Mike (kneeling), Tony
Was this crazy or what!? There was a lot of energy in the air.
It was also warm. About that. The heat was the story of this year’s relay. After a relatively mild week, Portland and the surrounding areas expected highs in the 100s on Friday afternoon. I was grateful that I was in Van 1 and most of us would escape the worst of the heat, although it would still be a challenge and ultimately it would define our race.
196 Miles of Sweat, Not a Whole Lot of Glory, But a Lot of Fun
Van 1 Legs 1 to 6
After our team picture we left our first runner Tony at the start line and the rest us from Van 1 loaded up and headed down the course. The first leg drops more than 2000 feet over 6.2 miles, by the time we got to the exchange at 11:00 AM it was already approaching 80 degrees.
Tony, the youngest and a newcomer to the team, sped through ahead of schedule and handed the wrist slap baton to Mike, a veteran of the record-breaking campaign. Mike kept close to pace. I would be up next!
Mike taking the wrist baton from Tony at the End of Leg 1
By the time I got the baton, we were already below 3000 feet and the temperatures were in the 80s. Fortunately the first mile and a half were on a deeply shaded forest access road. With minimal warm up and some bumps in the pavement I took the first mile rather easy (6:30) before settling into +/-6:00 pace. Dropping 150 feet/mile this was a tempo/threshold effort. I felt great through about 15 minutes, but onto the busy 4-lane Highway 26, there was no more shade and I could feel my core temperature rising. I figured only a mile and a half to go.
However, as I approached 4 miles there was no exchange zone! The organizers had switched the location of the start and the leg ended up being 4.5 miles. My heart rate climbed into the 150s, which is hard tempo effort although I was trying not to push too hard. We were still near goal pace, after my leg and Garry’s. Twenty miles into the race, we had dropped 4,700 feet. After those legs course would involve rolling terrain and a lot of uphill for the next 176 miles. Things got tough for Frank and Flavio on Legs 5 and 6 with temperatures climbing into the 90s with little shade, and some arduous climbs.
A lighter moment, one of the gang hamming it up for his newest fans, while team leader cajoles him to get to the exchange zone–You don’t want to miss the start!
The scoop was that we could be as far back as 10 minutes by half way (end of Leg 12) and still be in contention for the record. That worked for them in 2023, but on that day they had a later start (less time in the high heat) and it was 10-15 degrees cooler in Portland. Nevertheless at the end of Leg 6, at Sandy High School on the east side of Portland, we had a 4 minute deficit. Remarkable considering the increasing heat.
Respite and a Shower
After that exchange Van 2 took over for Stage 2. They had the toughest lift. Running in 100-103 degree temperatures through the afternoon.
We piled into Van 1 and made our way back some 40 minutes to the motel near downtown. After a shower and quick meal it was time for an afternoon siesta, and we nodded off for about an hour. We then loaded up the van for the evening-night session. It was blistering hot just to walk across the parking lot and I could not imagine what our teammates in Van 2 were going through at this time.
Stage 3 (Legs 13 to 18): The Heat is Still On
The sun was getting lower but the temps were still slow to drop, showing 102 on our dashboard and 101 on the weather app. We got to the busy exchange at the end of Leg 12 at about 6 PM and no one ventured out of the van as the AC blew full blast. We dropped off Tony for his leg and headed out on the course, deciding to find a shaded parking area where we could monitor his progress and to provide him with some ice and cold water.
By the time he got the baton we were 20 minutes behind the schedule and any realistic chance at the record was gone, even if the temperature suddenly dropped to 60 degrees. Tony was already feeling it, about 2 miles into his leg and we stopped again. Same for Mike on his long 8 mile leg. He was in and out of shade but the temperature was still well into the 90s. Mike looked great at 2 and 4 miles, but the heat wore on him.
I was next. We were leaving the Portland suburbs and heading north on Highway 30 parallel to the Columbia River. It was past 8 and the sun was behind the hills but it was still 92 degrees. Maybe not blistering hot, but there was no escaping it. My leg started with a half mile climb over a bridge and I used that as my warm up, knowing that I’d be giving up more than a minute just to get started. Onto the highway, I did my best to find a proper rhythm and effort. My leg was 6 miles, I was slated to run 6:00 pace, but knew that was out of my reach (even fresh and at 50 or 60 degrees), so my goal was 6:30 per mile. The first mile was right at 7:00. I wasn’t going to be able to run 6:20 for the rest of the way to make that back. I ended up running 6:30-45 for the remaining 5 miles of the leg. The first half went okay. And it was a relief to see the van at 3 miles, where they handed me a water bottle with cold water. I carried my handheld for fluid on this leg, so just dumped the 16 ounces of water on my head and shoulders. I felt great for another half mile, and then it got tough!
Feeling good at the moment, just after splashing cold water on my head. Things got real over the next mile. Real and indeed difficult the 90 degree heat.
I hung on as best I could, I had to go to the bathroom but also had to hold on to the pace. I concentrated on running steady and looked forward to some relief!
I found Garry at the exchange and told my catcher, Mike that I needed a bathroom! Now! I wouldn’t be able to make it to the next stop. There were no porta potties in sight so I grabbed some wipes from the van and headed to the woods on the other side of the exchange area.
Later read that at the Hood to Coast everyone has a poop story. I was glad to have escaped disaster.
Back into the van as dusk is turning to night. By the time Garry’s 4 mile leg is done it was almost dark. And by the time we got to the exchange it was. Temperatures were still in the mid-high 80s at that time.
We turned due west off of Highway 30 and sent Frank into the dark but still hot night. The next 7 hours would be a blur of glow vests, headlights and headlamps. The exchanges were still crowded and we figured that this would be peak time. It was a challenge to find parking and then to exit in time to get on the road before the next leg.
Frank, the fastest and arguably toughest runner on our team, was exhausted after his leg. I sent Flavio off into the darkness for his leg. When he finished we’d be done with round 2 for Van 1 before Van 2 would then take over for the next 5 or so hours. We loaded Flavio into the van after is leg and headed west to exchange 24. It was a long drive, more than an hour, through quiet back roads and much of it was away from the race course. At times i seemed like we were just randomly driving through the forest.
Respite but No Sleep for the Weary
The temperature dropped quickly and before long it was in the 70s and 60s! Relief from the heat at last, although the humidity increased.
I tried to sleep some. And would nod off for a few minutes at a time. Mostly, though it was some quiet talk and music–sometimes loud, I think we were listening to a classic rock station. At one point The Ramones’ I Wanna Be Sedated was blaring, but someone said it was too loud so we switched to some quiet country music.
Finally we arrived to the exchange and settled in for a few hours of rest. At first there were only a few vans in the field, but it filled up and soon got noisy even though it was 11 PM. Some people kept their flood lights on. We tried to sleep in the van, and maybe I got 1o or 20 minutes of snooze before it got noisy outside as more and more vans came in and departed. We rousted ourselves up and got ready for our final push, legs 25 to 30.
Stage 5 Into the Darkness We Drift
I would be doing leg 26, 5.7 miles starting after 2 AM. We were now more than 45 minutes behind, but still pushing. I had never run at 2 in the morning and haven’t run much in the dark for more than a decade. I put on my light vest and headlamp, made my way to the exchange, and did a minute or two of light jogging in the adjacent parking lot.
They called my bib number and I darted across the road to take the baton from Mike.
Game on! Running in the dark with a thin headlamp. The course started downhill for about the first half mile but it took a while to find my stride, so I did not really get an advantage on that stretch. The temperature was cool, which was refreshing after the evening’s 40 minutes of approaching heat stroke. However, found that I had difficulty running faster than about 6:50/mile. This was 20 seconds slower than I had anticipated and my teammates would want more than that. I wanted to stay on my feet, visibility and the possibility of tripping were limiting factors. When cars passed I’d get 10-15 seconds of extra illumination and could surge.
That’s pretty much how went on that dark and lonely leg. I passed a couple dozen runners along the way, and the effect was surreal. You would see road right ahead of you and the light vests bobbing in the distance and not much in between. It seemed like we were bioluminescent creatures at sea. There were a few stretches where I could see no one ahead and there were no cars. It was eerie in places.
One runner passed me at after half way on the leg. I did my best to keep up and maintained a 60-80 m distance until the final mile or so. We had a steady climb for about a mile and then a nice half mile descent to finish the leg. I made up some time there. I shouted my bib number to the officials who were about 100 m from the exchange, but the receivers did not get the memo! I crossed the line, somewhat exhausted but there was no Garry!
I stood there dumbly, not sure what to do. Then I heard them shout, here he is. He was still in the staging area across the road, as they had not announced that my bib number was coming in. Ackk! Garry took the baton and sped off into the dark night.
I was done. Although I did not approach my goal pace, and we were now 50 minutes behind schedule, I was happy to have completed my third leg of the Hood to Coast relay. We quickly piled back into the van and I took some fluid and an energy bar. At the next stop I was able to switch into some dry clothes and relax a bit. I fell asleep somewhere in there, maybe for 5 or maybe it was 20 minutes. The last two legs of our final van segment were sort of blurry. We were getting pretty punchy and made a lot jokes and comments that were funny to us at the moment, but now I can barely remember what we were laughing about.
The exchanges were overcrowded with vans and with some luck and swift maneuvering we made our way through the parking areas without much delay. I was only half awake during final legs through the forest on the dark pavement. By 5 AM Van 1 was done and Van 2 took over.
We drove about 45 minutes to Seaside and found a cafe that would open at 6. We waited for a few minutes and along with occupants of several other vans, piled out and got in line for the breakfast rush. Some caffeine and protein (eggs and vegetables for me) were perfect. I was tired but not crushed.
To the Beach
We made our way to the beach and a couple of us jumped into the surf. I only went waist deep because the water was cold, but the chilling salty surf felt good on my calves and thighs.
Garry and I get our feet wet early on Saturday morning.
Flavio, or team leader, carried us in for the last leg and we greeted him at the finish line for the final jog and photo. Then as a group we went back to the beach for some more surf time before embarking on a 2 day binge of rest, rehab, and a lot of eating.
Supermasters team champions and top 2 percent overall.
Aftermath
After the relay had two days to enjoy the Oregon Coast. That two naps on Saturday afternoon, another trip to the finish area to collect our team awards, big meals, a beach run, and coastal hike.
All day beach part for the Hood to Coast.
View from our beach house.
When I was there I wanted to soak it in and figured this might be a one time thing for me. I’m not getting any younger! However, the BRR calls in 2025 or 2026 I am pretty sure I would say yes! That was an amazing experience.
rrunnin234 