Hood to Coast: “The Mother Of All Relays”
The HTC relay race is such an awesome, ridiculous, and beautiful tradition. It’s a testament to our desire to just get outside and play
My alarm started blaring at 5:40 AM, but I was already awake. I had been staring at the clouds for the past 45 minutes. Directly to my right was a sleeping bag containing a slumbering stranger I’ll never speak to. To my left was our team’s star runner, Ben. For the past two hours, we had been lying in an open field somewhere in rural Oregon resting our eyes before the final leg of our relay race. Nearby, the volunteers continuously shouted the bib numbers of arriving runners through a microphone.
I looked over at Ben and my thousand-yard stare said something along the lines of “And we thought this would be… fun??”
He simply nodded and began packing up his sleeping bag. I could practically hear Robert Frost taunting me from beyond the grave.
“The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but we have promises to keep and miles to go before we sleep.”
Since then, our 12-person team has showered, rested, eaten like kings, and drank plenty of cheap beer. We’ve forgotten the cold and the fatigue. In its place remains an almost childlike giddiness at the whole ordeal. Hood to Coast is such an awesome, ridiculous, and beautiful tradition. It’s a testament to adults' desire to just get outside and play; just like when we were young. I’m writing this, so obviously it gets my sterling recommendation. But there is a lot of planning that goes into both the months leading up and race day itself.
Stats:
- Total Distance: 197 miles
- Starting Line: Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood
- Finish Line: Seaside Beach, Oregon
- Average Completion Time: 28–34 hours
- Team Size: 8 to (typically) 12 runners completing 3 legs ranging from 4 to 8 miles each
- Cost: $2,300, or $192/runner
- Event Size: 1,100+ teams!!
The History of Hood to Coast (HTC)
Let’s backtrack to 1982. E.T. was phoning home in theaters across America, Michael Jackson was having a Thriller of a year, and Bob Foote, the president of the Oregon Road Runners Club had a crazy idea for a local relay race. Forty-one years ago, 8 teams raced across the state of Oregon and hardly anyone noticed. To celebrate their efforts they had a pasta dinner on the beach.
Today, runners from 50 states and 40 countries flock to “The Mother of All Relays.” Over $6 million has been raised for cancer research. It has inspired countless copycats. Heck, even Kevin Hart ran a few years back! This thing is massive. I’ve participated in many races and nothing has come close to the magnitude of HTC. Of course, this also comes with many hurdles to overcome during the signup process.
How to Win the Lottery
HTC has sold out for the past 30 years. In 24 of those years, it has sold out on the day of the lottery. You really, really need to plan ahead to have any chance of obtaining a spot. Even if you do everything right, your chances of being selected are as low as 1 in 4. Luckily, the Facebook page is highly active with aftermarket opportunities to join or buy a team from someone who can’t make it. Getting to the starting line is a battle in and of itself, but it is well worth it!
The 2024 lottery drawing will take place on October 4th. Teams will have a 2-week window leading up to this date to fill out an online application. Remember, this is Oregon we’re talking about, not Silicon Valley, so sign-up methods are a bit antiquated. Teams are required to print, sign, and mail a paper application to HTC headquarters. Around 2 weeks after the drawing, winning teams will receive an email and the credit card on file will be charged the entry fee. If you have any more questions, be sure to check out their lottery page.
Hood to Coast — The Basics
As mentioned earlier, HTC consists of 36 legs ranging from 4 to 8 miles in length. These add up to about 200 miles, which span from Mt. Hood to Seaside, Oregon. Typically teams of 12 are split evenly into 2 vans. At all times one runner will be in the process of completing a leg. Part of the event's appeal is the fact that it’s so much more than just a cardio competition. The logistics and van support bring a whole new challenge.
I broke the race components down into three main categories: chilling, racing, and exchanging.
Hood to Coast—Chilling
When the other van was completing its 6 legs, the world was truly our oyster. We lounged hard and did our best to rebound from compounding exhaustion. Typically there is around a 4–5 hour window to sleep, eat, and even do laundry if you have friends along the route. The biggest flag about this section is to make sure you’re on top of the other van's progress so you don’t miss the exchange.
Hood to Coast—Racing
HTC is made up of 36 legs. Each van of 6 people is responsible for 18 legs, and each runner is responsible for 3; I’ve crunched the numbers. Everyone will have a daytime, nighttime, and morning slot. Factors such as heat, dust, elevation gain, and distance create a range in overall difficulty. Runners carry a rubber wristband that is passed off to the next runner upon completion of each leg. The course is very well marked, and the roads always have a big enough shoulder to feel safe amidst oncoming traffic.
Injury is probably the most common curveball. If a runner gets injured, a teammate can take their place, but the injured runner is not allowed to jump back in and participate in any future legs.
Hood to Coast—Exchanging
When our van had a runner on the course, we were constantly assessing logistics to optimize exchange zones. There was a lot we could do to forecast when runners would arrive, but at the end of the day, it was still a guess. Exchanges were buzzing with cars. Sometimes, a runner would have to hop out of the van a quarter-mile away from the exchange to get there before the other runner arrived.
Ultimately, the exchange periods are where many promising teams fall apart. We spotted vans that drove to the wrong exchange zone. There were weary runners aimlessly searching for someone to hand off to; sometimes for the better part of an hour. Like I said, this is about more than just cardio. You need to be able to predict when to be at the next spot, and you will not always have service to fall back on. I made a pretty useful spreadsheet. Feel free to tell your team you designed it yourself. Every team needs a spreadsheet nerd.
Nighttime
Running the night leg was my favorite experience of the entire race. It was thrilling. The world around me was pitch black aside from the occasional headlamp beckoning me to speed up. This does pose some risks, so precautions are taken by HTC between 6:00 PM and 6:00 AM of the race. Each runner is required to have the following:
- 1 flashlight or headlamp
- 1 front and 1 back flasher attached to vest
- A reflective vest (required until 9:00 AM)
Additionally, around this time, sleeping became a non-negotiable. There was just no way to pull an all-nighter and stay mentally sharp. HTC is very strict about sleeping in undesignated areas. Exchange 18, 24, and 30 have roped-off areas available for naps. Zone 24 is sponsored by Alaska Airlines, which provides tents for anyone with an Alaska mileage plan. Personally, we were so tired by this point that the line wasn’t worth the hassle. Since the weather was decent, we just laid our sleeping bags in the field at zone 30.
FUN STUFF!!!
Some teams play to win, but most teams play to party. Team themes and van decorations are the beating heart of the event. One van had a lawn mower attached to the roof (Lawn Gone), and another van was Taco Bell themed. In an act of abject psychological warfare, one team actually chose the theme “hotdog water.” Anything goes, so have some fun with it.
Additionally, the beach party will likely be poppin’ when your team finishes the race. If you’ve never seen several thousand walking zombies attempt to dance and binge drink, I highly recommend it. The camaraderie is fantastic and there’s plenty of soft sand to take a power nap before hitting up the Tito’s tent. At some point in the last 20 years running has become a bit of a party sport, and I’m totally here for it!
Miscellaneous Questions
- How safe is the event? There are bike patrols along the course, most runners will be near others at all times. There are significant efforts to keep the event very safe for everyone.
- How does timing work? Your team will be given a staggered start time. Much of the race will depend upon the honor system until the final leg. There is a chip in the final runner's bib that will determine total time once they cross the finish line.
- Are there food and drink stations along the course? Definitely manage your own. Some trail angels will post up and offer sustenance, but it is not predictable when and where these will be.
- Where should I stay? The start line is about 2 hours and 40 minutes east of the finish line. I recommend booking an Airbnb/Hotel near the finish line and driving to the start line. These will book up fast, so plan immediately after winning the lottery.
- Can I wear headphones? They are discouraged, but personally, I wore them during some of my race. You can use your best judgment about when this is safe.
- How *ahem* reliable is the bathroom situation? Genuinely I’ve never seen cleaner and well-stocked port-a-johns than this event. They are at every exchange location. We became fervent ambassadors of Honey Bucket after this weekend.
Packing List
This isn’t exhaustive, but I’ve shared some of the most useful items on my mind after completing the course.
- Walkie-talkies
- Sleeping bag + tarp
- 2 flashlights, 2 reflective vests, and 4 flashing clips per van
- Safety pins
- Lots of water and ice
- Coolers
- Earplugs + sleeping mask
- Bandana (2 legs are veryyyy dusty)
- Sunscreen
Still On The Fence?
Sign-up. Even if you don’t have a full team, just do it. Hood to Coast is all about building a bridge while you’re driving over it. You’ll figure it out. This weekend really did make me feel like a kid playing outside. I kept catching myself marveling at the ridiculousness of it all. Thousands of people, aged from young adults to their 70s, were casting aside judgment to play a silly game across the state of Oregon. The thing about playing is it creates fertile ground for some of the best memories and friendships you can find. So I’m sold on Hood to Coast. Come hell or hotdog water I’ll be lacing up for another race in the future!
