Paper: Oregonian, The (Portland, OR)
Title: HOOD-TO-COAST RELAY DIFFERENT KIND OF RUNNING ADVENTURE
Date: August 26, 1989




The Oregonian Hood-to-Coast Relay course stretches from halfway up the southern slope of Mount Hood to the sands of Seaside. It is the nation's biggest and longest relay.


It is a punishing, grueling run, which started in the lower parking lot at Timberline Lodge at the 6,000-feet elevation. It moved to sea level over rolling farm lands and through rugged forest corridors. The temperature variations could be 40 degrees.There are few running experiences to match The Oregonian Hood-to-Coast 187.2-mile jaunt that will take the best 12-person teams in excess of 16 hours to complete. The hazzards and perils are no deterrent for 700 teams that lined up for the challenge.


The opening wave of 35 runners left Timberline at 2:20 p.m. Friday and 19 successive waves followed at 30-minute intervals, an elapsed time of 7 hours, 40 minutes to launch the lead-off relay runners.


By the time each team had reached the 62.1-mile mark on Woodstock Boulevard in Southeast Portland, the 8,400 runners had completed one leg of the race. And it wasn't until about 10:30 p.m. Friday, about eight hours after the start, that the first runners cruised down Portland's Front Avenue -- dubbed ``Electric Mile,'' which is sponsored by Portland General Electric.


The elite teams, three-time defending champion Killer B's of Portland, and principal challenger, Sponsor Wanted of Seattle, got a 9 p.m. Friday start and were expected to duel through the night for a finish some 16 hours later, around 1 p.m. Saturday, at the 12th street exit of Seaside's North Prom.


Halfway point in the race is along Highway 30, just east of Scappoose, and is the 18th leg of the 36-leg run. The third leg for each of the dozen team members begins near Mist, on Highway 202, at the 131st mile.


``The key to the race is not to go out too fast on the first leg,'' said Greg Gustafson, team leader of the Killer B's. ``If you do, you'll pay, on either the second or third leg.''


Gustafson's team members have trained to pace themselves at between 5 minutes, 10 seconds to 5:14 per mile, and a 5:16 pace would put the team on Seaside's beach in 16 hours, 9 minutes.


Other challenges come from all over the West and the teams mirror the seriousness and fun of being a part of the event. Some of the more interesting team names are: Don't Hurry, Be Happy; Too Hot To Just Trot; Enlightened Soles; You Can Run But You Can't Hide; Walla Walla Sweets; A Fairwell to Legs; Devotion To The Ocean; Nike Why Do It; Hurtin' For Certain; One Time Only; Stare-oids; Joggernauts; Legs T'Sea; Ash To Splash; and Fat Birds Don't Fly.


A traffic advisory has been issued for Saturday along Highway 30 and Kittridge Overpass from midnight to 6 a.m.; Highway 30 in Scappoose and St. Helens, 2 a.m.-9 a.m.; Highways 47 and 202 in Columbia and Clatsop counties, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.


Eastbound travel on Highways 47 and 202 is discouraged because of anticipated congestion and delays.