Entertainment treat for relay lovers

[racedirector]

For those that love relays, you'll be pleased to know about a new indie flick, titled Hood to Coast (after is namesake). It tells the true story of four teams as they attempt to conquer the 197 mile long journey from Mt. Hood to the Oregon coast. The the film looks at running from the perspective of the passionate, everyday runner - someone who loves to run, but wouldn’t be considered an elite athlete.

For those that don't know about Hood to Coast, founded in 1982, its the mother of all relays and the inspiration for the New England Relay (and many other relays across the country).

To find out more about the film, visit http://www.hoodtocoastmovie.com/.

And if you happen to see it, please do post here and tell us what you thought!

[Brian D.]

I got to see the movie at a special screening last week. It was really cool for a number of reasons. 1) It gave me a chance to see what all goes on during an event like a relay and how challenging it can be physically, mentally and emotionally. 2) It was really cool to see your "everyday runners"...and your "not everyday runners...or screw it we'll skip the running and just drink beer" (Team Laika). I thought it gave the presentation of the relay a much more human feeling rather than just an athletic one.

Team R. Bowe was running in the event in memory of a guy that passed away...his wife, who was just before giving birth to their son at the time of his death, was one of the main figures in that team and she talked about what it meant to her to run the event and how she used the tragedy of her husband's passing as strength to keep on going when things go difficult on the run.

Team Heart & Sole (I hope I got that one right) had a lady drop down in the middle of the street coming out of an exchange zone the year before due to her heart just suddenly stopping. I think she said she had a triple bypass and a stint put in and she was able to do two legs (much against her doctor's recommendations).

Team Dead Jocks had the most fun out of everyone and have a guy on the team that had ran in all 27 H2C's and their inspiration was to put together a team every year that would place in the top 6 of their age group to guarantee a spot in the next year's race. All over the age of 50, they know their best running days are behind them but they still find a way to pull through each leg and just have a blast while completely ignoring the "act your age" rule that tends to go along with adulthood.

Team Laika was perhaps the most unmotivated group as a whole but the best thing about watching them was seeing the look of "oh my God...I just did that!!" on their faces after they finished and listening to them talk about how awesome it was to run and overcome a leg that has an 1,100 ft. elevation gain. Viewer be warned: they *do* drop a nice share of f-bombs during some of their segments!!

And then we get to Team AC Bowerman Elite, the race favorites who were, by far, the least interesting and entertaining group of them all. They came off as being more smug than anything.

To get an idea of what an event like Hood to Coast or any other relay event it's definitely worth checking out. But to get truly inspired by the stories and triumphs of others and to help you remember whatever purpose(s) you have for running and competing like you do...*watch* the movie.