Paper: Sunday News (Lancaster, PA)
Title: LOCALS MAKING LONG TRIP FOR LONG RACE
Date: August 9, 1998

With 4,000 volunteers, 65,000 cheerleaders at the finish and nearly 18,000 athletes gathered together for the weekend, the Hood to Coast Relay is the challenge of a lifetime for a Lancaster team.


Twelve local runners will participate in the 17th running of a race which covers 195 miles, beginning Friday, Aug. 28 in the shadow of Oregon's highest mountain, Mt. Hood, and finishing at the coast town of Seaside, Oregon.Led by co-captains Phil Garland and Jeff Roth, each relay member will run 3 legs of the race, varying from 4 to 7 miles. This will be the first time any of the team members have run this event.


The undertaking was the brainstorm of Garland, who operates Garland Construction, Inc., of Lancaster. His business is financing the trip.


"I just enjoy running and particularly like the camaraderie of friends to train with," he said.


Previously, he supported and participated in a New York relay and the local Marathon of the Roses relay.


The Hood to Coast will be the biggest challenge, however.


"It adds another level to the race," Garland said. "We feel the strength of each other."


Strength is exactly what this group will need, according to Roth.


"With 1000 teams, this is the largest relay in North America. It will be a once in a lifetime adventure," said Roth.


The relay will erupt from the Timberline Lodge, nestled at an elevation of 6,000 feet, with the 11,000-foot Mt. Hood volcanic peak in the background. Fortunately, a dormant volcano.


Twenty teams at a time will leave from the 1930's lodge in a staggered time start. Some may remember the lodge, which was the centerpiece of the thriller movie, "The Shining" with Jack Nicholson.


The first of the 36 legs will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 28., with a 5.6 mile ""very hard" downhill interval, dropping 2,000 feet in the process.


Each of the 12 runners will complete a leg of the relay, then the first runner will begin the 13th leg and so on, until all members have completed their three legs and 195 miles.


The runners with support vans will continue along Route 26 through Portland then passed the base of another "hopefully" dormant volcanic peak - Mt. St. Helens. From there, the runners will work their way east, through small Oregon towns like Jewell on route 47.


Finally, the last relay runner will cross the finish line on the sandy beach to the sounds of "the largest beach party in Oregon." Organizers will have live bands playing for the tired but fortunate athletes who survive the adventure.


The 1997 Men's Elite winners were Nike Mambu Baddu with a time of 16:13:45; The Nike Elite Women, led by former Olympic runner Mary Slaney, won the Elite Women's competition with a time of 19:08:59.


The Lancaster team's goal is to finish, enjoy the scenery along the way, and cool down in the Pacific Ocean to celebrate their victory against the elements, two mountain peaks and yes - that 195 miles.


Relay runners include:


Phil Garland, 38, of Lancaster, a builder/developer who uses running as a stress release and an healthy extension of the success he had in his high school experience in track at Cocalico High School.


Chris Goodling, 28, of Lancaster, who along with his team was a 4th place finisher in the 1996 Marathon of the Roses relay. Goodling is a program director for children with mental health and behavior problem issues.


Mark Hribrar, 42, of Selinsgrove, who has run a 2:30 marathon in Pittsburgh, and has completed the Boston Marathon. Hribrar also coaches collegiate women's basketball.


Pat Lafferty, 42, of Lancaster, who began running 10 years ago as a means to better health. A realtor, Lafferty hopes to finish the Oregon relay with no personal or team injuries.


Art Morris, 52, who was the state champion in the mile during his high school track caceer at McCaskey. Morris is a former mayor of Lancaster and current president of Utility Solutions, Inc. He runs 30-90 minutes daily.


Joseph Reighard, 39, of Lancaster, who has run for 23 years in distances up to a marathon. This pressman, who resides with his wife and 2 children will experience his first flight when he makes the trek to Oregon for the race.


Matthew Robinson, 32, of Lancaster, who is a security guard. Robinson runs at least 10 miles a day. He runs "for the fun of it."


Jeff Roth, 41, who is the head coach of Millersville youth track as well as a director of the "Elementary Run for Fitness" races for 7 school districts.


Tim Schuler, 35, of Chambersburg, who won the 1997 Sauders Egg Run and 1997 Vermont Marathon, along with a victory in the 1997 Smith Challenge 10K run.


Matt Seigford, 33, of Lititz, who won this year's Ephrata 5-mile, Lititz Pretzel Twist and the Lancaster Road Runners Club Spring Fever runs. He is the head cross-country and girls' track coach at Manheim Central.


Robert Ulmer, 52, of Lancaster, who had a distinguished career in cross- country and track at McCaskey. He is a former owner of the Inside Track runners' shop and one of the founders of the Lancaster Road Runners Club.


Scott Weaver, 41, of Christiana, who coached track and cross country at Stevens State College of Technology for 5 years.


The alternate relay runner is John Stout, of Lancaster, 35, who placed second in his age class of the Harrisburg mile. Stout is the interim director of the Prescott House, a group home for juvenile boys.