Paper: Indianapolis Star, The (IN)
Title: Down from the mountain
Date: August 30, 2002

The start of the race dazzled the Indianapolis runners:They stepped off under a brilliant blue sky near the snow-spotted peak of Oregon's Mount Hood. Elevation: 6,000 feet.


It was generally downhill from there -- 198 miles to the finish line at the Pacific Ocean. Elevation: 0.


Two teams of Indianapolis runners were among the 982 teams in the Hood to Coast Relay, starting last Friday evening and running nonstop until the following Saturday night.


These flatlanders say the relay race, the largest in North America, was a fun challenge.


"It was almost like a Woodstock for runners," says John Fencl of the "24-Hour Oregonasm" team, composed of Indianapolis men in their 30s and 40s.


The 21st annual relay was a festive event, with 12,000 runners, wildly decorated support vans and plenty of music. One Texas team sported shorts that looked like their state flag. Other teams delighted in counting "road kills," each runner that they passed.


"There are lots of people who do kind of wacky things," says Gary Dove, a member of the Hearty Hoosier Has-Beens, a team of 51- to 70-year-old Indianapolis men decked in neon-orange singlets.


The race also was an athletic adventure, even for the veteran marathoners from Indianapolis. In the Hood to Coast Relay, each runner does three legs, which average 6 miles long. It was like doing three 10-kilometer races in a day, with little rest in between.


"It was a major effort," says Mike Evancho, 51, of the Has-Beens. "You ran day and night."


Running in the dark required extra gear. "I was wearing a headlamp . . . like a spelunker," says Fencl.


Each team was supported by two vans, which carried resting runners and lots of water, sports drinks and energy bars.


"We did a lot of bonding" in the many hours they spent waiting at exchange points in the van, says Janine Evancho, Mike's wife and a driver. "All the excitement kept us going."


Sleep was in short supply. "I got about an hour and a half" of sleep at about mid-race, says Fencl. Half the team checked into a motel for a couple of hours while the other six runners did their segments.


Everyone was exhausted at the end, he says, but pleased. Fencl's team, captained by Dan Ball, met its goal of finishing in 24 hours or less.


The Has-Beens, captained by Mike Traynor, finished in 25 hours, 49 minutes, good enough for fifth place in the "supermasters" division.


The end of the relay was spectacular, the runners say. As the team's final runner neared the finish line, the rest of the team was allowed to fall in behind him and cross the finish line together.


"We all ran that last 50 yards" on the sand, says Evancho. "We finished right on the beach."


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Hood to Coast Relay


The largest relay race in North America goes 198 miles from Mount Hood to Seaside, Ore.


21st annual race


* Race was Aug. 23-24


* 982 teams, consisting of 12 runners each, finished.


* Each team member runs 3 legs, which range from 4 to 8 miles.


* The winning time, by a team from Atlanta, Ga., was 16 hours and 59 minutes.


John Bigelow / staff graphic


Call Patricia Hagen at 1-317-444-6017.