Hood to Coast Relay and I

Before I knew there was a whole community of runners out there all over the world, I had never heard of Hood to Coast. Actually I lied, I do remember. Last year a bunch of my coworkers were going to do it, and having no idea what it was but seeing their super cool company-branded gear that they designed just for this event, I asked if I could do it too!! And they said no. Psh. 

I had no idea that this was THE relay. "Mother of all Relays". It is exclusive. Only the most dedicated and crazies dared to do it and, not everyone can participate. In 1998 a cap of 1,000 teams was agreed upon by Hood To Coast and Clatsop County to keep the event safe and enjoyable to all who participate. The limit still exists today, with Hood To Coast filling on "opening day" of registration for the past ten years! You have to be either special or lucky. 197 miles, 12,000 runners. It starts at our own Mt.Hood and ends at the Pacific Ocean in Seaside. When it all came together, I was blown away. It takes more than three hours to drive, and this race takes DAYS to complete, just non-stop running. There are 36 legs that are split up between your team members. Can you imagine running through our mountains, freeways, forests, city, fields, and to the ocean at 3am? Incredible!! 

Anyways, I soon realized that at all the races I go to, everyone knows about the Hood to Coast Relay. People from all over the states, especially from Oregon and the Northwest, everyone who is anyone!! It's pretty cool how these events bring people together for a common purpose, to run. And to check out our amazing scenery :-) 

I am not going to run in Hood to Coast this year. I'm not ready. But we'll see what happens next year. HOWEVER, I do know a lot of people who are. And I do know of a way you can get in for free! Yeah, Strands.com has a couple of spots they are giving away! Quick details:

-They are holding 5 spots to give to a running store with the most followers.

-One spot each for the next top six stores.

-One more spot reserved for anyone that creates a free account on Strands and emails a video, blog , picture, etc. to HTC@strands.com of why they should be selected to run on their HTC team! (This could be…you!)

There are no strings attached, just "follow" a specialty running store in your area on Strands.com, and have your friends follow it too, because the most popular running store on Strands will win 5 spots for Hood to Coast! BAM so there you go, an all expense paid trip to Oregon. Strands is a completely free online training log. Visit http://contest.strands.com for the details! 

Oh oh and the best part is, I live in Oregon. So maybe I’ll be at the race to meet every one!! This is a link to my profile on Strands I’ll be freshly back from Hawaii by then. Can’t wait!!