Hood to Coast Relay Team

Some of us have discussed putting together a team to run the Hood to Coast Relay next August, in honor of R. Bowe, and possibly with a fundraising aspect (through sponsorship of runners, e.g.). Ryan apparently first participated in this race when he was 12 years old, and it seems a fitting and fun way to pay some tribute to him, given that running had been and still was an important part of his daily life.

Hood to Coast (www.hoodtocoast.com) is a 200 mile race from Mt. Hood through Portland to the Oregon coast, run in 36 legs of 3.7 to 7.4 miles by teams of 8 to 12 runners. The race can last up to 31 hours (the cutoff time limit), and has been described as a “planes, trains and automobiles” kind of experience in which teams use vans to keep runners moving to the next stage, eating and sleeping on the fly.

Although the race is held on the last full weekend in August, registration begins in October and usually closes out on the first day (the race is one of the largest relays in the world, with a limit of 1,000 teams). Thus, we wanted to go ahead and put this idea out there to see if we can form a nucleus of interested runners. We would need a minimum of eight people for registration, although it is possible to add or substitute team members up until mid-August, so that commitment now is not absolutely binding. However, an entry fee of between $90-$135 per person (depending on the number of runners splitting the $1080 total entry fee) would have to be paid at registration. The entry fee is non-refundable by the race organizers, but clearly would be exchangeable among individuals subbing on or off the team before race day. Additional expenses for travel to Portland, outfitting two vans, etc. should also be considered.

If you have any interest in running Hood to Coast (or questions, etc.), leave a comment or contact me at markhamt9@yahoo.com, and we will go from there!