KGW

Breakfast of Champions! The relay is over our appetites are...

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 16:09:26 -0400

Breakfast of Champions! The relay is over our appetites are still running on high. We stopped in Gearhart this morning for a big breakfast, with a large order if reminiscing on the side.

Through adversity and accomplishment, we had a great time journeying from Timberline Lodge to toe-tipping in the Pacific, thanks for reading along - we hope you enjoyed the view from the van!

PS - apologies for any typos, all posts done in sleep-deprived state via tiny iPhone keyboard via Tumblr!

- Frank

The Morning After

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 16:03:00 -0400

9 am Sunday - sleep is good. And after running 20 miles in the past 30 hours, with only a 30 minute nap along the way, sleep is reeaaally good. Our team crashed at Jim’s place in Gearhart last night, and I think we slept about 10 hours. It was great!

For me, this year’s event was special because I shared it with a van of 5 co-workers who had only one previous HTC experience between them. It was fun to see the entirety of the event through their fresh eyes, and their enthusiasm was contagious.

The race also built camaraderie in an unexpected way. Traffic congestion along the entire second half of the route - the worst I’ve seen in my 15 HTC races - challenged us to think creatively just to be able get to each exchange before our runner arrived, so they’d have someone to hand off to.

Another first for me: We nearly got gassed! In the coast range, there is a long stretch with no chance to get gas. That’s never been a problem in past years because, well, the race is only 200 miles, less than a tank. But we burned so much fuel idling in race congestion that, at 6 am Saturday morning, our fuel light went on and we were trapped in traffic, at least 30 mins from the next gas. After the initial panic faded, David and I separately set out to Conjure Gas! Walking past the line of vans, I found another team stranded on the roadside, out of gas. Uh oh! Then I saw it: The ODOT sticker on the door of a passing pickup. I immediately looked in back, and spied several gas cans. I pivoted, and sprinted after the truck, waving my arms. The driver stopped, rolled down his window, and I launched into our sob story. “No problem, where are you parked?” he replied. Relief! Imagine my surprise, after leading him, like a prized hunting trophy, to our van and see a good Samaritan David had found also hooking us up with a gallon from his gas can!!

The physical challenge of 12 people trying to run 200 miles with little rest in 24 hours is usually enough of a challenge all by itself. For us, this year, the travel tests provided an even bigger challenge, and meeting that challenge brought us together as a team.

That, and passing around Honey Badger videos from YouTube on our cell phones :)

Frank Mungeam
KGW.com

Run all day, dance the night away! KGW Running Footage joins up...

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 15:02:50 -0400

Run all day, dance the night away! KGW Running Footage joins up with a festive team of Disco PTC walkers, cutting up the sand in Seaside. How did we find this energy??

Party time at the Beach! After 200 miles of running, KGW...

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 14:53:01 -0400

Party time at the Beach! After 200 miles of running, KGW producers Leilani, Gina and Kerry celebrate finishing HTC with ‘Wolverine’!

KGW running footage finishes, 2:45 Saturday!!

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 19:05:25 -0400

KGW running footage finishes, 2:45 Saturday!!

2 pm - Van 1 done and arrived in Seaside! Awaiting arrival...

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 17:32:21 -0400

2 pm - Van 1 done and arrived in Seaside! Awaiting arrival of teammates for big finish on the sand at around 3p!

What would Honey Badger do!

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 15:55:41 -0400

What would Honey Badger do!:

Running is obviously a huge part of the HTC relay. But runners spend way more time in the van than they do pounding the pavement. So how do teams pass all that time spent in the van?

I suppose many of them talk a lot about running. We talked about and watched the hit YouTube “Honey Badger” viral video….and applying the key phrase: “Honey Badger don’t care,.,” to every aspect of the race. I.e., “Honey Badger don’t care that your legs are sore - it is time to run again!”.

The most popular room at HTC - the ‘blue room’, also...

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 15:37:22 -0400

The most popular room at HTC - the ‘blue room’, also known as the Honey Buckets. At every exchange half our team beelines to get in line! There’s something about the nerves of getting ready to run that…makes you run to the potty!

With all those tired runners and all those trips, there’s another inevitability, as Collette found out first-hand. At least once you will go to open the door of an unlocked Honey Bucket and find…it occupied by a surprised runner who forgot to lock the door!

I couldn't sleep at all last night...

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 15:08:03 -0400

Our Van 1 runners finished our 2nd round of legs near Scappoose a little after 12:30 am. From there, we had a 31 mile drive to the big field in the cosst range where teams unfurl their sleeping bags and try to steal some zzz’s. We hoped to be snoozing by 2 am since we needed to be ready to run again by 5 am.

Instead, I found myself trapped behind the wheel in bumper to bumper traffic worthy of Portland’s worst commute. It took us nearly 2 hours to cover the last 10 miles to our camp, dooming our third legs to be run on about an hour of total sleep in the past day :-0

WiFi again!

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 14:41:44 -0400

After being ‘dark’ without WiFi in the coast range, we are connected again, here come the updates!

6:05 am Sarurday, back in cell phone range. David, our 2nd...

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 14:39:44 -0400

6:05 am Sarurday, back in cell phone range. David, our 2nd runner, is enjoying his final leg, running through the misty sunrise just outside Mist, Oregon!

The Midnight Hour

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 03:26:13 -0400

12:05 am: Friday became Saturday during my second leg, a 7-mile stretch through the outskirts of St Helens.

The midnight hour captures both the absurdity and the magic of Hood to Coast. Absurd to be running, to exhaustion, on some remote road at an hour when most sane people are enjoying pleasant dreams; magical to see the sea of runner headlamps dancing in the darkness, runners and walkers of all shapes and sizes united in their all-night coastal quest.

Our 6th and final runner, Jim, is wrapping up his 2nd leg and the blog will be going dark for a few hours as we sneak two hours’ sleep - and head into the no-cell-service area of the coast range.

Nap time!

Movie Stars

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 01:31:20 -0400

10:25 pm - just ran into Bob Applegate of the Dead Jocks. He and the Jocks were one of the four teams featured in the Hood to Coast movie that premiered this past year. He is tweeting at #djox.
We are both running Leg 5, rated the hardest of the 12 legs, and had fun whining about the fact that half of the 3 extra miles in this year’s race were tacked onto the (impending!) middle leg of Leg 5, lol.

Frank Mungeam

Star Show!

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 00:41:14 -0400

9:34 pm Friday - we’ve escaped the city lights of Portland, and out here along Hwy just outside of Scappoose, a canopy of constellations is filling the night sky, keeping us company.

Collette is out running on leg 15, we are halfway done with our second leg!

8:30 pm - Runners pass by the St. Johns bridge at...

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 23:33:35 -0400

8:30 pm - Runners pass by the St. Johns bridge at twilight…

Van 1 got :15 of fame - a surprise interview by Matt, live...

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 22:33:38 -0400

Van 1 got :15 of fame - a surprise interview by Matt, live during KGW’s evening news!

Matt Z and The 12 Beaches, in their 7th Hood to Coast!

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 22:09:16 -0400

Matt Z and The 12 Beaches, in their 7th Hood to Coast!

Refueling at Chez Andi! I’ve been on HTC teams that hit...

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 21:27:38 -0400

Refueling at Chez Andi! I’ve been on HTC teams that hit the fast-food drive through between legs. Our KGW team is so fortunate to be hosted by Andi Arellano, who creates two dining masterpieces - one seating for each van - in her NE Portland home. Complete with hot showers, coffee to go, and even leftover bags. Thanks Andi!
6:30, off to OMSI to meet up with Van 2 to start our second legs!

??? It was like Christmas at the Safeway at the major exchange...

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 20:53:54 -0400

??? It was like Christmas at the Safeway at the major exchange in Sandy as teams loaded up on ice and water. Our checker told us he and three others were brought in from ‘the city’ (Portland) to staff up for the HTC deluge. But the oddest thing was the sight of these runners packing the magazine aisle. Were they looking for training tips? Motivational articles? This photo needs a caption!

5:15 p.m. - Bed Time!

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 20:25:50 -0400

If you are going to run 5-6 miles, three times, all in 24 hours…you better get your rest in between!

So a curious feature of Hood to Coast is, if you finish leg 1 at 3 pm - like we just did, you find yourself trying to sleep in the middle of a sunny, hot Portland afternoon.

Most of the team is crashed, resting - but Justin and I are just chatting our nap time away. we will see if we regret that on Leg 3 tomorrow!