Buffeted but not beaten

The weather was the headline, especially the wind that destroyed the tent village at the beach in Seaside, Oregon, but Rank Strangers achieved its goal (and bucket list entry) with success at the 34th Hood To Coast run relay.

Despite the terrain (hills!!) and the weather (driving wind; cold rain) we had one of our fastest times for 198 miles; Rank Strangers were 572nd out of 1048 finishers in 30 hours, 18 minutes and 19 seconds - about an 9 minutes and 11 second per mile average. A KGW.COM article from Saturday, Aug. 30, tells the weather story   Link  (http://www.kgw.com/story/news/local/2015/08/28/hood-coast-relay-starts-runners-heading-toward-seaside/71308148/ ) GOVERNMENT CAMP, Ore. -- The 34th annual Providence Hood to Coast Relay began early Friday morning with nearly 13,000 runners lacing up their shoes to head from the mountain to the beach. Little did they know they'd be running the gamut of weather conditions - high winds, heavy rain and even hail, during the 198 mile relay. The weather was tough on the 19,000 people participating in this year's event. Teams of 8-12 people took turns walking, jogging or running stretches of the relay until reaching the finish line in Seaside. "I was like, 'Wow, this is ridiculous and wet and rainy.' But it was fun," an elated Ryan Cornwell, of Portland, told KGW at the soggy finish. "A hurricane is what it felt like," said runner Erica Fitch. "There were tree branches everywhere." "Usually we're worried about being sunburned, not wind burned - right," added a smiling Alex McKinnon, of Seattle. Another runner just simply described the relay as "gnarly." The National Weather Service issued a High Wind Warning that predicted gusts up to 65 miles an hour.  Winds were later recorded as high as 90 mph. Follow link for full KGW.COM article Art on the move - first leg Rachael waiting to run off Mt. Hood Cathy Safety Office Steve and disciple, Greg Steve and Ed Jeff and Mark Renee and Jennifer Randy and Denise Eric

Rest for Van#2, hard slog for Van#1

12:30AM.  Van#2 is enjoying the hospitality of St Helens High School - hot shower, a place to stretch out (gym floor) - sobered by what we saw on the drive up busy Highway 30 from Portland.  Our teammates are out there, battling up hill on the narrow shoulder of that busy road.  There might be exciting scenery in daylight, but in the middle of the night, dreadful running conditions.  We'll take the next handoff from Van#1 near here at around 4AM.

Near night and night runs by Van#2

Van #1 raced off the mountain slopes to put the team ahead of schedule and Van#2 is holding up its end.  Photos show Denise and Eric on their first runs.

Van #1 ready for action

The race is on for other teams (the first waves went off before 6am) but our team's start time is not until 1pm.   Van #2 will spend the day in Portland and join the action in Sandy, OR for its first shift around 6pm.  And do on until 200 miles are covered and we reach Seaside, OR. Rachael's early morning photo from Mt Hood (Government Camp, OR).   Cathy's photo of the mountain. Thursday afternoon, before Van #1's departure to Mt. Hood (Mark, Rachael, Cathy, Jeff, Art, Renee, Jennifer) Van #2 breakfast on Friday morning at Shari's (where else?) (Denise, Kay, Eric, Steve, Greg, Ed, Randy)

Rank Strangers go west for "Mother Of All Relays"

After 11 years of Madison-Chicago, the Rank Strangers will make their Hood To Coast debut on Aug. 28-29.    It's an all veteran team with co-founder Mark Clear joining to drive Van#2 for the 200 mile race from Mt. Hood to Seaside, Oregon.

Van#1 - Art Saffran, Jeff Shampo, Renee Roux, Cathy Jooste, Rachael Weiker, Jennifer Sell.

Van#2 - Greg Masenthin, Ed Stojakovic, Eric Engdahl, Steve Hill, Randy Meacham, Denise Meacham.

Collectively, that's a millions of miles of run relay experience but I've got rookie jitters about taking on the largest running relay in the world. 

Think of it:  "Every year over 17,400 people race from the base of Mt. Hood at Timberline Lodge to the beach in Seaside, traversing a picturesque course showcasing every landscape Oregon has to offer."

Jennifer will cover the most miles to get to Portland, from Nuremberg, Germany.   Rachael and Cathy are coming from Washington, DC and environs and the rest of us from Chicago and Madison. 

Watch this space for updates from the road.

Photos from the Rank Stranger archives:

Rachael Weiker and Art Saffran

Cathy Jooste

Ed Stojakovic

Greg Masenthin

Jeff Shampo

Jennifer Sell

Team co-founders Eric Engdahl and
Mark Clear

Denise and Randy Meacham

Renee Roux

Steve Hill

Relationship map shows who brought whom to the
Rank Strangers.  Hood To Coast runners are highlighted.