Running in Bob Foote's Steps

Few people admit to ever have voted for Richard Nixon, although he won the Presidential ticket twice, and once by a historical landslide, so you have to figure that someone voted for him. Likewise, few race directors will admit that getting rich off producing an athletic event is even possible, although you have to figure that there's at least one person that has made some money in this area. If there is only one person who has achieved wealth from race directing, that person is Bob Foote, the founder and owner of the Hood To Coast Relay.

Of course, Bob Foote didn't set out to create a world-wide sensation, the race just evolved that way. What started as a lark decades ago among friends grew into the Mother of All Relays through unique circumstances, and to repeat that process today would be difficult. But, that doesn't mean others aren't trying to follow in his footsteps.

The first success at duplicating this type of team relay is probably Gordon Lovie's Rainier To Pacific, although it has come up short of the multi-million-dollar pay-off mark set by Hood To Coast. It still remains a great alternative to Hood To Coast, and it's both cheaper and less crowded. The 21st Annual Rainier To Pacific is this July.

Another local attempt at reproducing Bob Foote's sensational success is the Cascade Lakes Relay. It's likely that no relay will reach the magnitude of the original, but Cascade Lakes has achieved a great deal of progress in a short time, with 62 teams in 2008 in its first year, and over 100 teams registered so far in 2009. This second annual event will run July 31 to August 1, from Diamond Lake to Bend. Not unlike Hood To Coast, the Cascade Lakes Relay has become a family business, with Race Director Scott Douglass enlisting the Douglass clan to take on executive roles. Scott's father, Brian Douglass, is President and CEO of Smith Rock Race Group, which has produced the Smith Rock Sunrise Summer Classic in Terrebonne and a few other races over the years. The Smith Rock 5K, 10K and Half Marathon will be held this year on July 11.

Nationally, the Ragnar series has launched a huge undertaking, with 12 relay races in 12 different cites, from Washington State to Washington DC. It's doubtful that all twelve races will get the attention they deserve to become truly great events - perhaps they're hoping that half of their races will do well. Their one Northwest race is dubbed the Ragnar Relay Northwest Passage, running from Blaine, WA to Langely. The best part about this course is crossing Deception Bridge onto Whidbey Island, but you can experience this by running theWhidbey Island Marathon in April. Is there enough overflow of Hood To Coast excitement to maintain all the Ragnar Relays?

But wait, there's more. This year is the inaugural "Oregon Prelay" race, which is a Hood-To-Coast-style relay billing itself as a tribute to Steve Prefontaine. It's a back-road route from Portland to Eugene, running via Newberg, and down and to the east side of I-5, winding south through semi-rural roads in the Willamette Valley. This relay is put on by Epic Relays of 7 Summit Sports, who are based out of Denver, Colorado. It starts July 10, 2009, and so far looks to be less than epic, as they're desperately trying to give away team entries.