Paper: Columbian, The (Vancouver, WA)
Title: TALES FROM HOOD TO COAST: IT'S NOT WHETHER YOU WIN OR LOSE, IT'S HOW YOU RUN THE RACE
Date: August 27, 2002

Dead last. We finished dead last. And you know what? We don't care.


The only thing that matters is we finished.


Twelve of us, some co-workers, some strangers -- and now all new friends -- completed the ultimate road trip, running from Timberline Lodge to the sands of Seaside last weekend in the annual Hood to Coast Relay.And Team No. 12, "Hot off the Press," finished 982 out of 982.


Ever the optimistic, I was quick to point out that 1,000 teams signed up for the race, and 18 did not finish or did not even try. So, by that account, we weren't completely last, just the slowest team that made it across the finish line.


A couple teammates surmised, "Last in time, first in fun."


I was one of eight rookies on our team. We found new ways to punish our bodies, and a couple days later, our bodies are still punishing us.


But we also found out how fun it was to be part of a team that wasn't trying to win anything, just finish.


There is nothing like running around a corner and seeing your teammates on the side of the road with some spirit and some water. Then, they honk and scream some more as they pass you in the van.


Here are some highlights:


* My first run was the race's first leg, all downhill without a parachute, from Timberline Lodge to Highway 26 -- about a 2,000-foot drop in elevation in a little more than five miles.  The adrenaline was pumping, so it felt easy.


* Some 11 hours later, I started leg 13 (my second leg, another 5.3 miles.) A teammate gave me water at about the two-mile mark. I asked her if I was close to the exchange point. She didn't say a word, but her expression said it all, "Hey dufus, you just got started."  I was in for a long one.


* My third and final leg (leg 25 if you are scoring at home) was considered an "easy" one. Whatever. I took the bait. I ran my first mile with my "Rocky" music in my headphones. I was flying. Then I hit a wall. The beauty of running Hood to Coast is you get to run with nature. Well, I gave something back to nature at the end of that leg -- my cookies, if you know what I mean. Still, I finished and got that runner's high  the wave of emotion after accomplishing a goal.


With my running complete, my job simply was to cheer on my teammates all the way to Seaside. That was easy, considering how gracious my teammates had been to me.


One, in particular, needs his own highlight package.


Business writer Steven Gardner makes anybody who ever had an excuse not to run the Hood to Coast look like a wimp. Gardner weighs in at a little more than 300 pounds. He didn't break any speed records, but he broke the notion that he couldn't do it. He is a Nike commercial waiting to happen.


You see, the 12,000 who participated in the Hood to Coast all had their own reasons for putting their bodies through so much pain and sleep deprivation. For me, I've always wanted to accomplish something like this but was afraid. Once I signed up, though, I knew my teammates were counting on me to train and carry my load.


So we finished last. That stat means nothing.


But here's one stat I cherish: I've lost 33 pounds in the past 16 months.


Running this summer has helped get the weight down. Being part of the "Hot of the Press" running team inspires me to keep working.


Why?


Simple. The 2003 Hood to Coast is 12 months away.


See you next year at Timberline, and more importantly, on the beach at Seaside.


Maybe we'll finish 981st next year, right?


Paul Valencia is a sportswriter for The Columbian. He can be reached at 360-759-8055 or online at paul.valencia@columbian.com