That Oregon was a wild, captivating and beautiful place stretching from mountain top to sea shore we all knew. That in the “old” West people still hadn’t given up dreaming of great exploits was also known.
But that some 15-17 thousand people, all sharing the same passion, gather on a hot August day for a ritual that’s been going on for 25 years now, never ceases to surprise. The first time was on 7th August 1982, a little less than a month after Paolo Rossi had skewered Brazil, Argentina and Germany to lift the World Cup above this shoulders.
Only a passion for the open air and running can explain a phenomenon like this: how else can you handle a 317 km run, from mountain to ocean, with such good cheer and adrenaline and with a keen sensation of taking part in something absolutely unforgettable?
The Hood to Coast race has 1,000 (yes, one thousand) teams of 8 to 12 members. The distance from the top of Mount Hood to Seaside, on the Pacific coast, is 197 miles, divided into 36 legs. Each contestant has to run at least three legs (the legs are of varying lengths). On average, all the teams make the finishing line in somewhere between 24 and 32 hours.
For nine years now, registration for the race is all over on the very day the booking period opens.
Each team follows its runner in a van (often rented) accommodating the rest of the team; the van is thus the team’s den, where everyone rests, eats and drinks and psychologically recharges.
The key people of course are the runners themselves. There are also all-women teams, and teams from all over the world. Over 4,000 volunteers look after the organization of the race, and there are also some 400 teams of walkers. In short, a huge, unforgettable festival that closes, in a paroxysm of fatigue, relief and relaxation, with a maxi-party on the beach at Seaside.
And at that point, sadly, it’s all over, for another year!!
The next one is scheduled for Friday 22nd and Saturday 23rd August 2008. What about organizing a pArticip8 team??

Useful links:
Hood To Coast
Image gallery
History
Runnersworld