Hood to Coast 2019 — Karen Poole Fitness

Is there a race that sticks out in your mind as a favorite? There are two that I consider my favorite races. The Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco (which unfortunately was cancelled) and Hood to Coast! Running Hood to Coast in 2019 was amazing! It was my first long distance race since becoming a mama and it went really well. I ran Hood to Coast in 2013 with Team Nuun and it felt so good to be back. If you don’t know, Hood to Coast is a 199 mile relay from the top of Mt. Hood in Oregon, to Seaside on the Oregon coast. It consists of 12 runners, each running three different legs of the race. Everyone runs between 12-19 miles total.

This year I ran the race with an old friend from high school and college, Larissa, and a group of her coworkers and friends from Eugene. It was a very supportive and positive team! Our team name was Tree Tops to Flip Flops.

Team Tree Tops to Flip Flops at the Finish Line!

The Nerves

I always get a little nervous before big races and this was no different. This race actually was the first night I ever spent away from almost 2 year old Logan, so I had more than just the race on my mind. While I missed my kiddo, it was so good to get away for a night and run with friends. Self care at it’s finest! I was runner 12 and so my first leg of the 3 legs I would run in the relay was actually just a few miles from my house. It was nice to not have to drive to the top of Mt Hood to start and to just enjoy starting the race close to home and get to say goodbye to Logan at the exchange. After I got that first run under my belt, the nerves started to disappear. My first leg of the run went on the Springwater Corridor Trail from Gresham to the Waterfront in Downtown Portland. It was right at sunset and was a pretty course to run on.

The Race

After my first run, our half of the team had a break while the other 6 runners continued the relay. We headed for some delicious Pho to refuel. Then drove to the next exchange area to try to get a few hours of sleep before we started running again. Admittedly, I barely slept at all, too much excitement and no places. (I also skipped bringing a sleeping bag to spread out in the designated sleeping areas). I did enjoy some time catching up with our team and grabbing a hot chocolate. Soon enough we were off. The other 5 runners in our van did great on their middle of the night legs and my second run started around 5AM.

This run was beautiful! I was along country roads and watched the sunrise. At that exchange of course, we had to take some selfies as a team! It wouldn’t be a relay without some selfies!

The third leg was the final leg for me and the finish of the race! As the #12 runner, I got the privilege of running the team through the finish line. The finish line was even more special as Logan and my husband were waiting on the sidelines with the cutest sign! Check it out in the photo below.

The finish line was electric! The weather was so perfect and our whole team was finally together in one place. I was definitely tired after racing and driving around for 24 hours, but it was so worth it! I felt so accomplished and it was so fun to share the finish with my friends and my son.

I cannot wait to run this race again another year! Fingers crossed for this race being in my future again. If you ever get the chance to do a relay race, especially Hood to Coast, take it! Stick around and enjoy a few more photos from the race below!

The Medal with the beach in the background.