What is Hood to Coast?

I remember the first time I heard about the Hood to Coast race; I was either reading the book or the blog Run Like a Mother.  I didn't have a clue what it was.  I first thought it was some kind of cross country race-as in across the whole country, from the "hood"-NYC, to the (west) coast. 

Much later, while listening to The Marathon Show one day, the host, Joe Taricani, was interviewing the director of the Hood to Coast movie.  Because Joe is such a good interviewer...I found out not only all the details about the event, I was introduced to the spirit of the race. After seeing the movie, I was hooked.  (I've already confessed to you I might not be actually doing this thing if not for Captain Casey, but I knew I wanted to do it after listening to the interview.)  I'm just so thankful Casey went to the movie with me.

So...what exactly is H2C?  You probably know it's a 197 mile relay race that runs from Mt. Hood to Sea Side Oregon.  It's the largest relay race in the world in terms of participation.  ...I don't want to make this a Wiki entry, but the truth is since I haven't yet experienced the race, it's hard for me to adequately write about it.  My guess is it will be a lot like becoming a parent.  Everyone told me, before I had my son, there was no way to describe what it feels like.  I thought I knew how I would feel...but I didn't have a clue until I was feeling it because I had never experienced anything like it before. 

In my mind, this is "just" a really cool race.  But I've had enough experiences in my life to know I should believe all those people who say this is NOT just any other race.  I love what Bart Yasso (Chief Running Officer of Runner's World magazine) has to say in the Hood to Coast movie trailer:  "No matter what you read and what you hear, you have to EXPERIENCE it."

So...if you want the facts of the race, you can check out their official website or the Wiki entry...otherwise, you'll have to wait another 15 months if you want me to tell you about it....and trust me I WILL!!  Until then I'll just keep telling you about our Journey getting there!!