I’m completely overwhelmed on where to start with this post. I could probably write 10 separate posts about my Hood to Coast experience, but I know I would lose you all, so I’ll keep it to just one (very long one).
Back story for those who missed it: Three weeks before Hood to Coast, I saw a random Tweet from someone I didn’t even know (it was re-tweeted by someone I follow) that there was a team looking for a female runner from out-of-town who ran about an 8:00 pace. On a total whim, I responded, and with my husband’s blessing, I suddenly found myself on a Hood to Coast team.
For those not familiar, Hood to Coast is the largest relay race in the world. It starts at the base of Mt. Hood in Oregon and goes 198 miles to the coast and ends in Seaside, Oregon. It’s been running since 1982 and is very hard to get into (unless your team has run the previous year and placed in the top 6). Each team consists of 12 runners (you can have as few as 8) and each runner runs 3 times (called ‘legs’).
In a sense, I knew exactly what to expect for Hood to Coast since I was fresh off of running Ragnar NWP, yet at the same time I had no idea what to expect since I knew nothing about any of my teammates. Really the only thing I knew going in was that I would be running with 11 other women, period. It turns out that about half the team knew each other from college – they all ran together at American University under Matt Centrowitz (father of Matt Centrowitz, Jr., who just won Silver in the 1500 meter at the World Championships). Last year, the entire Hood to Coast team was made up of American University runners – hence the team name Centro’s Survivors (because Centrowitz was/is apparently a tough coach) – but this year, only half the team could make it back. The other six spots were filled by friends and strange, random Twitter people (i.e. me). My nickname on the trip became “Twitter Ashley” since that’s how I came to be on the team. It also turns out that these women were fast. And competitive. To be honest, I felt really intimidated and out of place when I met these women. Here I was thinking I would be running an 8:00 pace, when everyone else was talking sub-7. Last year Centro’s Survivors came in 2nd place in their division and I didn’t want to slow them down, costing them a guaranteed spot in next year’s race (the top 6 teams in each division get guaranteed entry into next year’s race and the rest is done by lottery). Suddenly I knew I had to step up my game.
I arrived in Portland on Thursday afternoon and two of my teammates picked me up at the airport. Two of the runners, Kate and Caroline (sisters), grew up in Portland and their parents generously let all 12 of us girls stay at their house. Not only that, but they were moving on Monday and in the middle of packing! They were amazing hosts and provided us with a great breakfast and even a home-cooked meal Friday night before the race. Their mom, Denise, was also the driver for van 2. Seriously, an amazing and very generous family!
Centro’s Survivor’s before we headed up to Mt. Hood
Our team didn’t start until 6:00 pm on Friday, which meant we had all day on Friday to relax, get food for the race, etc. A few of us went to a great yoga class on the morning, then we all had lunch together before van 1 headed up to Mt. Hood around 2:00. I was in van 2, which meant we didn’t need to leave Portland until 7 or 8 that night to get to the first major exchange where we would take over from van 1.
I was runner #8, so my first run would start around 10:00 pm. It was a short 4.55 miles, all pretty flat or gradual downhill. It was also pitch dark outside and in the middle of back country Oregon. Besides one other runner who was not too far behind me, I was the only person out there within sight. (Since we had such a late start time, there were not a lot of runners on the course with us until our 3rd legs when we started catching up to other teams.) I saw a lot of beady little eyes in the bushes looking at me (usually raccoons) and suddenly I found myself running pretty fast. My average pace for this leg was 7:25 and suddenly I was feeling a little more confident about not letting the team down. I just had to wait and see what my legs had in store for the next 2 legs.
Somewhere along the course
After van 2 finished our 1st legs, we headed back to the house in Portland and had about 2 hours to sleep before we had to head to the next major exchange to meet van 1. (The only drawback to having a fast team is less rest/sleep time between legs.) When it was our turn again, the sun was just starting to rise, making for beautiful running conditions. By this time, we had developed a rivalry with another team – the Knoxville Track Club – who started the race at the same time we did and who we had been running with the entire race. Our runners kept passing each other and at each exchange we were within 2 to 3 minutes of each other. So by this time, we made it our sole mission to beat them. They were also an all-female team, so we were competing for a spot in the same division.
Left to Right: Me, Steph, Catie
My second leg of the race was pretty brutal. One look at the leg profile and you get an idea of how tough it was. It was essentially 5.75 miles straight uphill on a very rocky dirt road, so needless to say my pace slowed way down. It also didn’t help when my teammate, Catie, yelled out the window “almost there!” 1 mile into the run as the van passed me. I got a laugh out of it and gave her a hard time later, but at the time I wasn’t very amused.
Elevation profile for my second leg
After van 2 was done with our second legs, we headed out to the next major exchange and hung out for a few hours until it was our turn again. This was the first time we were around a lot of other teams and actually started to run with a lot of other people. Some people slept in the van, others wandered around soaking in the atmosphere (people sleeping on the ground, people playing catch, etc.) They were also selling “real” food here, so I took advantage and had some spaghetti with meat sauce. After living on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Picky Bars all night, a real meal tasted really good and my body was happy. At this point, fatigue and exhaustion were kicking in, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep, so I just hung out and tried to keep moving. And before I knew it, it was our turn to run again. By now, the Knoxville team had gained 5 minutes on us, and the last stretch was about one thing and one thing only: closing the gap and getting ahead of them.
Left to right: Me, Marisa, Zaia, Meg, Meghan, Leah, Kate
Unfortunately runner #7, Catie, was running with a torn meniscus, which wasn’t really bothering her up until the last leg, but then it started to hurt considerably. This slowed her down, so the 5-minute gap remained. And then it was my turn. I hadn’t realized exactly how much the hills from leg 2 beat me up until I started running again. Both of my knees were very angry with me and it took everything I had to keep from walking. Luckily my last leg was only 4.1 miles and rolling hills, so it wasn’t anything too difficult. But unfortunately I wasn’t fast enough to close any of the gap between us and Knoxville. It was then up to our last 4 runners. And they were all in beast mode, determined to catch up to them. Seriously, we got REALLY competitive, but it made the race that much more fun. I don’t think we would have pushed ourselves so hard had we not had that friendly rivalry, and in the end, we felt good knowing we gave it all we had. In the end, the Knoxville team beat us my two minutes. But they deserved it (especially since they gained about 5 minutes when one of their runners got to an exchange and their team wasn’t there yet). But we came in 6th place in our division with a time of 24:08:13, securing a spot in next year’s race. I’m not sure what’s in store for Centro’s Survivors next year and who will be back from the original team or this year’s team; but if they want me back, I would happily accept. I was probably the slowest on the team, though, and a random last-minute Twitter person, so if they don’t ask me back, I completely understand.
Packed finish line (actual finish line where the clock is stopped was different. This one was all for show.)
After we finished the race and hung out at the beach for a while, we headed to a beach house nearby also owned by the same family as the Portland house. We had pizza and salad around the dining room table while swapping stories. Although we were all exhausted, there were so many stories to share and laughs to be had!
Centro’s Survivors on the coast
In the end, I had an amazing time! The women on the team were all so welcoming and nice and made me feel very much a part of the team from the get-go. They were all super supportive and if they cared about my slower pace, they certainly didn’t show it. My van-mates were fun, funny, and we all got along great. I wish I had more time to get to know the girls in van 1, but I can honestly say that I left with 11 new friends. I took a risk when I responded to that Tweet, and it was a risk that I am so happy I took!
She Runs Strong 