Start to Finish on adventure.mountainzone.com

	If you thrive on being cramped in a tight van with six other foul smelling runners, sleep deprivation...this event is for you.
	PHOTO GALLERY (8 Photos)

Team Bucknell Alumni Distance, winners the past two years, had hopes of continuing the tradition, but a local Oregon team, Team Pace Setter Elite, held Bucknell from smoking the pavement. Covering the distance over the steep mountain ranges and gorgeous scenery, Pace Setter Elite was able to take advantage of Team Captain Ian Solof's legs to put the team in the front at the midway point, and would never relinquish the lead. Finishing in a blistering time of 16:46, Pace Setter was almost five minutes ahead of 2nd place finishers Jersey Eccentric Running Kara's. Team Bucknell Alumni Distance hung on and took 3rd place, finishing nine minutes behind the leaders.

"We made several strategic moves that put us in the lead. Greg Kuntz ran a blazing anchor leg for the team keeping us in the hunt, and I brought Scott Cohen onto the team just 10 days ago. Scott just moved here from Scotland and his running style and speed really complemented our team and put us back into the hunt for the podium. This race is phenomenal and just an incredibly organized event, and we're just so glad to win here today under this intense competition after a 3rd place finish in last year's event," Solof said.

Team Whose Idea Was This, captained by Steve Wall from Mosier, Oregon, is one of the many teams that returns year after year. Sporting fluorescent green shirts and a van grotesquely decorated with huge question marks, it became quite apparent the team would be vying for the Spirit Award given out each year to an outstanding team that embodies the race's essence. Not only did the team cheer on its comrades, but went well out of its way to cheer and assist each and every person within several kilometers of its team members.

Whatever gets you to the finish line — short of crawling — is acceptable in this most compelling team event.

As an adopted assistance crew member, I was asked to drive the entire 24 hours the team had predicted it would take to finish. Every mile or so we pulled over to the side of the road, outfitted the crew with water-laden sponges, gave them cold water, and shouted in the loudest voices known to man. As our runners came over the horizon, they were pummelled with encouragement that broke the sound barrier, and we transitioned faster than a car in pit row at the Indy 500.

Brian Mears of Team Whose Idea Was This has become quite famous in the Hood to Coast community. Sporting a unique swagger, he has incorporated the "head bob" as a means of forward propulsion and took his team to 174th place. Whatever gets you to the finish line — short of crawling — is acceptable in this most compelling team event.

Awaiting teams at the finish line were over 85,000 spectators anxiously straining to greet their loved ones after their duel on the pavement. A massive party ensued with live bands, great food and giveaways, and the beer garden serves well into the night as runners swap war stories about hallucinations during the night, personal records, and near misses with vehicles on the road.

If you thrive on being cramped in a tight van with six other foul smelling runners, sleep deprivation, running hard, bad food, great company, unadulterated fun, great race organization, beautiful terrain, sleeping on the side of the road, and fierce camaraderie, then this event is for you. But be forewarned, organizers turn away as many entries as they allow, so send it in early.

For more information on the race and to request an entry form email race organizers at htcrelay@teleport.com.