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Hood To Coast is a long distance

relay race A relay race is a racing competition where members of a team take turns completing parts of racecourse or performing a certain action. Relay races take the form of professional races and amateur games. Relay races are common in running, oriente ...

that starts at Mount Hood and continues nearly 200 miles to the

Oregon Coast The Oregon Coast is a coastal region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to its west and the Oregon Coast Range to the east, and stretches approximately from the California state border in the south to the Columbia ...

. Known as "the mother of all relays", it is the largest running and walking relay in the world, with 12,600 runners in the Hood To Coast relay and 19,000 total participants, including spinoff events like the Portland To Coast Walk and Portland To Coast Challenge Run Relay. Founded in 1982, Hood To Coast is extremely popular and has filled its team limit for the past 30 years, most of the time on opening day of the entrance lottery. The race is held annually in late August, traditionally on the Friday and Saturday before the Labor Day weekend. The course runs approximately (the course length changes by 1–5 km each year due to small changes made by race organizers) from

Timberline Lodge Timberline Lodge is a mountain lodge on the south side of Mount Hood in Clackamas County, Oregon, about east of Portland. Constructed from 1936 to 1938 by the Works Progress Administration, it was built and furnished by local artisans during th ...

on the slopes of Mount Hood, the tallest peak in Oregon, through the

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

metropolitan area, and over the

Oregon Coast Range The Oregon Coast Range, often called simply the Coast Range and sometimes the Pacific Coast Range, is a mountain range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region, in the U.S. state of Oregon along the Pacific Ocean. This north-south ru ...

to the beach town of Seaside on the

. Teams of 12 runners take turns running legs along the course. Walking and running teams may choose to compete in the Portland To Coast Walk or Portland To Coast Challenge respectively, both of which are held in conjunction with the main Hood To Coast Relay and start near downtown Portland instead of Mount Hood.

History

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The relay was founded by Bob Foote, who was President of the Oregon Road Runners Club and an ultra-marathon runner. The first relay in 1982 drew eight teams that ran 165 miles from Timberline to Kiwanda Beach near

Pacific City, Oregon Pacific City is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Tillamook County, Oregon, United States. The population was 1,076 at the 2019 census. Pacific City's main attraction is the Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area. Hi ...

. The relay grew rapidly to over 400 teams by 1986. In 1989, the finish area was moved to Seaside where it remains today. Cancer research and fundraising has long been part of the event. Over the past six years alone, the race has raised nearly $6 million for the Providence Cancer Institute, making it the second-largest road race cancer fundraising program in the nation. In 2006, Felicia Hubber, joined the organization to oversee race logistics, as Race Director and Chairperson, overseeing the long term vision and Hood To Coast mission moving forward. In 2019, the Hood & Portland To Coast Relays and HTC Race Series became a certified

B Corporation In the United States, a benefit corporation (or in several jurisdictions including Delaware, a public-benefit corporation or PBC) is a type of for-profit corporate entity, authorized by 35 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, that include ...

Additional events

Hood To Coast hosts several one day relays as well with HTC Cape Lookout, HTC Seabrook, and HTC High Desert (Central Oregon). Hood To Coast went international in 2016 and annually hosts Hood To Coast China, or "H2C China" in conjunction with Yao Ming's company, Starz Sports. Each summer, Chinese, American and other international runners in HTC China (limited to 400 teams) start on the mountain at Thaiwoo Ski Resort (site of the 2022 Winter Olympics), and traverse a mountainous course to its destination 110 miles later in Zhangjiakou. Additional annual international HTC events include Hood To Coast Taiwan, Hood To Coast Israel, and Hood To Coast Hainan.

Teams

Open to all interested competitors, but limited to 1,050 twelve-person teams, Hood To Coast has filled its limit for 30 consecutive years and on opening day for the past 23 straight years. Teams each year are chosen by lottery from entries postmarked on opening day of registration, (first Wednesday of October). The Portland To Coast Walk & Challenge Relays are limited to 400 and 50 teams respectively; entries are accepted on a first-come-first-served basis until all spaces are filled. Command sergeant major runs in Hood to Coast with son DVIDS448815

Command sergeant major runs in Hood to Coast with son DVIDS448815

Course

The Hood To Coast course consists of 36 legs; each team member runs three in rotation. The course is run primarily on paved roads and multi-use off-street trails, with small portions of the course on sidewalks and gravel roads. The legs vary in length from to ; some legs are virtually flat, and others descend and/or ascend steep mountainous hills. Consequently, a runner or walker may total between and . Teams in the full Hood To Coast Relay must complete the course within a 36-hour time limit. Teams start on Friday between 3:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. in staggered waves of approximately 15 teams every 5 minutes. Teams are seeded based on previous race pace times (extrapolated based on a specific deterioration factor over three legs, taking into account additional factors) for each team's submitted roster. Thus the flow of teams through the 35 exchange points and finish line remains relatively smooth, with all teams finishing the race by the closing time of 9 p.m. on Saturday. The course starts at

at the level of Mount Hood, and proceeds down Timberline Road to Government Camp. This first leg drops in elevation over about ; the next two legs from Government Camp to Rhododendron have a combined elevation drop of over about . Runners proceed west along

U.S. Route 26 U.S. Route 26 (US 26) is an east–west United States highway that runs from Seaside, Oregon to Ogallala, Nebraska. When the U.S. highway system was first defined, it was limited to Nebraska and Wyoming; by the 1950s, it continued into Idaho and ...

to the towns of Sandy and Gresham, where the route proceeds along the

Springwater Corridor The Springwater Corridor Trail is a bicycle and pedestrian rail trail in the Portland metropolitan area in Oregon, United States. It follows a former railway line from Boring through Gresham to Portland, where it ends south of the Eastbank Es ...

Trail to the Sellwood neighborhood in southeast

. The route then proceeds north along the paved Springwater/Willamette River Trail and crosses the Tilikum Crossing Bridge west into downtown Portland. After going over the Tilikum Crossing Bridge, runners proceed north along

Naito Parkway Naito Parkway is a major thoroughfare of Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. It was formerly known as Front Avenue and Front Street and was renamed in 1996 to honor Bill Naito. It runs between SW Barbur Boulevard and NW Front Avenue, and adjac ...

in downtown Portland along the west bank of the

Willamette River The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward b ...

and onto

U.S. Route 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...

to St. Helens. From there onward, the route passes through hilly rural and sometimes unpaved backroads through the forested communities of Mist and Birkenfeld on the way to the beach finish line party in Seaside. The Portland To Coast Walk & Challenge Run Relay follow the last 24 legs (130 miles) of the course, starting from the Tilikum Crossing Bridge in downtown Portland. Each participant in these relays walk or run two legs in rotation.

Logistics and atmosphere

Each twelve-person team is allowed two vehicles no larger than a standard-sized van. While the vans generally follow the race course in support of their runners, certain narrower portions of the course require one van to make a predetermined detour route to alleviate traffic congestion. Teams typically give themselves funny or original names and decorate their vehicles according to a theme. Teams are expected to provide their own provisions. Local schools, granges and churches along the route provide sleeping areas, food, and showers to participants as fundraisers. Teams compete in divisions based on gender (women's, men's, and mixed) age (based on the age of the youngest participant) or corporate. At the finish festivities on the sprawling beach party, photos, finisher/place medals are given to the top six teams in each category, along with food/beverage and live musical entertainment throughout the day and evening. All teams that include at least one member living within a radius of Portland are required to provide three volunteers to ensure adequate personnel at turns and exchanges along the 200 mile race course.

Media

The race was the subject of the 2011 film Hood to Coast, directed by Christoph Baaden. The film chronicles four teams, their back story and inspiration for running, while watching their heartfelt experiences in the race.

References

External links

Hood to Coast website

Portland to Coast Walk website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hood To Coast Long-distance relay races Sports competitions in Oregon Recurring sporting events established in 1982 1982 establishments in Oregon Annual events in Oregon