Last weekend, I had the pleasure of being a part of the Hyland’s Hood to Coast relay team. Hood to Coast is considered to be the original relay race. Started in 1982, it is a 199-mile race in Oregon that starts at the base of Mount Hood and finishes at the beach in Seaside. Before my mother calls me, no, I did not run all 199 miles. It is broken up into 36 legs between teams of 12, with each runner running three legs. I “only” ran 20 miles of it.
Upon arriving in Oregon I noticed an unexpected surprise – low humidity. I know this might seem like something created from the Land of Make Believe to those of us in Pennsylvania, but yes, it is possible to live in the continental United States and not be blasted by a wall of humidity the second you walk outside in the morning. Perfect running weather.
My team of 12 was broken up into two vans. I was runner No. 5 which put me in Van One. We drove up to Mount Hood a little before our noon start time. What. A. View! We explored the Timberline Lodge which was used for the outside shots from ‘The Shining.’ Hopefully none of us would turn into Jack Torrance by the end of the race.
My first leg started with a nice and easy 6-miler at 3 p.m. on Friday. Well, the downhill part was easy. The 400 feet of elevation change in the second half of it got old quick. Still managed a good pace and legs felt great.
After my van was done with our first legs, it was time for the other van, runners 7-12, to take over for the next four-ish hours. That meant we had some time to grab dinner. The team chose a Thai restaurant. Thai food a few hours before running. It was a bold move.
My second leg started at 11:45 p.m. on Friday. Since it was nearly 8 miles, this meant I would start the run on Friday and end it on Saturday. So I had that going for me. Since I was running at night, that meant I had to have proper safety equipment – a reflective vest, blinking lights on the front and back, and a headlamp.
Hood to Coast staggers its 1,100+ relay teams by having the slowest teams start first — at 5:30 a.m. — and sending teams that were projected to be progressively faster every 15 minutes. This means that eventually faster teams start catching up to the slower teams. Our team was not in it to necessarily meet a certain time or placement, but once you start running, the competitive juices start flowing. During this flat leg I passed about 50 runners. It was quite a sight — sorry no pictures — to see a sea of blinking lights stretched out for a mile in front of me. I felt like a cheetah going after a herd of zebras.
Toward the end of this leg I ended up getting a little bitter as a volunteer stopped me and a few other runners at a red light so that we could cross safely. The nerve of this volunteer wanting us to follow the law. Sheesh! A runner I had already passed started to try to pass me after the light turned green. Not going to happen buddy. A nice kick to repass him as I finish off those 8 miles. Suddenly I was 2/3 of the way done.
Now came the “fun” part of the relay — trying to sleep in a van with five other runners and a driver. By the time we got to the leg 24 transition zone to wait for van two to finish their second legs of the relay, it was 3:30 a.m. Saturday. At least I think it was Saturday. We had about 90 minutes to be able to get some shut-eye before it would be our turn to run again. If you’ve ever tried to sleep in a van, it’s not the easiest thing. It’s not any easier to sleep in a van when you’re 6 foot 3. I slept on and off for 90 minutes before it was time for our first runner, Mirna — yes, this Mirna — to get ready and start her final leg.
I ended up starting my final leg around 8:30 a/m. One problem: driving to that transition zone was challenging because about 200 other vans were trying to do the same thing at the same time. Imagine North Atherton Street with 200 vans of tired and smelly runners. Because of the backlog, some teams had runners who would finish before their team got there, causing their team to add time waiting around. To prevent this, that meant I had to jump out of the van and get a nice half-mile warmup in before running my final 6-mile leg. This leg featured a grueling 600 feet of elevation gain over the first 3.5 miles. But what goes up, must come down. The final 2.5 miles were all downhill which I fly down. Thanks, gravity. After cruising on the downhill I was done with my portion of the Hood to Coast relay.
One of the benefits of being in Van One was that we could freshen up while the other van was finishing their final legs. That meant a stop at Starbucks, a glorious shower, and a 20-minute power nap before our van headed to the finish party to meet up with Van Two and run the last 100 yards as a team to finish on the beach in Seaside. The post-race party included a view of the Pacific Ocean while a band played quite a few cover songs from the Dave Matthews Band, my personal favorite. Overall we finished a few minutes over 26 hours which was good enough for 82nd out of 1,147 teams. Not too shabby for a bunch of teachers.
As I write this column sitting in the Portland airport awaiting the red eye back to State College, I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity given to me by Hyland’s to run the “Mother of Relays.” Just like my experience at the Boston Marathon, the compassion and accommodations they showed over the weekend was truly amazing. From talking to some of their employees who doubled as van drivers, this level of detail and dedication to others carries through to the everyday employees as well. Even though I had to miss the first home State High football game of the season, it was truly an experience I’ll never forget.
Upcoming Races and Events:
Tussey Mountainback Discovery Series – These are a series of staged weekly runs that eventually cover the entire 50-mile course. The Discovery Series is especially good for a runner who is running the Mountainback solo or as part of a relay team. Even if you aren’t running the Mountainback, all runners are welcome to join up. Each discovery run is free. Here are the details:
Sept. 6 at 5:30pm – Legs 6 and 7 (7.8 miles) – Meet at Alan Seeger Natural Area parking lot – access via US-322 east; turn right onto Bear Meadows Rd for 9.2 miles, left on Stone Creek Rd, immediate left into parking lot; OR access via SR-26 south; turn left onto Miller Rd, becomes Slate Hill Rd, becomes Alan Seeger Rd, becomes Stone Creek Rd (5.9 miles); left into parking lot just past Bear Meadows Rd.
Sept. 13 at 5:10 p.m. – Legs 8 and 9 (9.0 miles) – Meet at Whipple Dam State Park parking lot – access via SR 26 south; after turning in the park driveway, take the first right.
Sept. 20 at 5:30pm – Legs 10 and 11 (7.8 miles) – Meet at Whipple Dam State Park parking lot – access via SR 26 south; after turning in the park driveway, take the first right.
Sept. 27 at 6 p.m. – Leg 12 (6.4 miles) – Meet at Tussey Mountain Ski Lodge – park in second (far) parking lot on left.
Nittany Valley Running Club & Centre Region Youth Cross Country Meets
Cross-country meets for kids 14 and under. Age appropriate races from 2K to 4K distances. Races are free (Parents must sign waiver). Ribbons to all participants. Races will be held at Oak Hall Regional Park, located at 120 Linden Hall Road. Meets will take place on Sept. 8at 8:30 a.m., Sept. 22 at 8:30 a.m., and Oct. 6 at 8:30 a.m. More information can be found at https://www.nvrun.com/index.php/racing/kids/youth-cross-country-program
Team Snap 1 Mile Family Fun Run/Walk – Sept. 22 at 10:00am
Jamie Barbarich Covol is a colleague of mine. She is the autistic support teacher at Mount Nittany Elementary School. Twelve years ago Jamie was diagnosed with a brain tumor and her journey has inspired many. Jamie continues to battle a recurrence of the brain tumor. In spite of this, she has an amazing spirit and attitude and is working with her doctors to allow her to live life to the fullest. The 1-mile fun run/walk will hopefully not only raise funding and awareness, but also show Jamie’s family how much community support they have. The event will be held at the Mount Nittany Elementary School and will feature family friendly activities. Register here. Register by September 7th to guarantee your T-shirt!
Other races in September can be found at the Nittany Valley Running Club website.
