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Nike Hood to Coast Relay

Two months ago, I got a call from Tony Atayde of Nike asking me what my plans were for August.  Scratching my head, I answered “Uh, no plans for now…” And, excitedly he interrupts me to talk about the Nike Hood to Coast Relay, the largest relay in the world with 1,000 teams of 12 runners each running from the ski lodge at the 6,000-ft level of Mt. Hood down to the Pacific Ocean at the town of seaside where a beach party awaits the runners.  The race is held in Oregon, USA annually where Nike’s headquarters is located.  This year, it will be on August 28 to 29.

I wondered why Tony was telling me all this until he paused and said “We would like to invite you to join.  Will you be available?” I smiled and answered “Tony, even if I were busy, I would clear my sched just for the trip!”

HTClow

- Nike Hood to Coast website -

And so began my training and preparations for one of the biggest adventures of my life.  

I “met” my other Southeast Asian team mates online by way of email where we were all asked to confirm our participation, enter our 10km race times, submit our sizes for apparel and shoes as well as our preferred flights.  Most of the runners from the two teams Nike is sending will be coming from Singapore; there are only 3 of us from Manila.  I believe our team will be called the Singaporean Chili Crabs, but I have to confirm if this is final as I’ve never tasted those crabs myself. Hah!  

As early as mid-June, we were sent a training program created by Racer’s Toolbox, especially for our teams.  I started out following this to the letter until my long runs, including the Run for Home half marathon, was throwing it out of whack so I decided to use my own program instead.  I also informed my PT at the gym about the race, so he’s thrown in some exercises that should help me in trail running.

I emailed rockstar trail runner Rick Gaston (365me) for some training tips which scared the hell out of me (ex. “The third leg will be hard because of the sleep deprivation.” or “At night in the dark, you can spot your van in the distance and it will be a reassuring presence.”), but it also got me even more excited about this adventure.

I hope that we’ll have enough time to tour Nike Campus which is, as I was told, an experience in itself to visit.  If one is lucky, they say you’ll spot Lance Armstrong on his stationary bike or Tiger Woods walking by your side. Good thing Lance is a good friend of mine already, well, via twitter that is…heehee!

Official HTC Relay countdown begins now!  26 days to go…woohoo!

Links:
Official website of Nike Hood to Coast Relay 
Open Space
Run Oregon blog

Posted on 08.02.09 to 03 Race Announcements. Tags: , , . Subscribe to follow comments on this post. 34 comments. Add your thoughts or trackback from your own site.

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34 Responses to “Nike Hood to Coast Relay”

  1. Galing naman :) Good luck Jaymie!!

    Ate Virgie said on Aug 02 09 at 6:42 PM Reply

  2. wow, this is exciting! goodluck jaymie! ;-)

    bobby said on Aug 02 09 at 8:28 PM Reply

  3. Wow, this is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Best of luck TBR.

    Gino Vineli said on Aug 02 09 at 9:00 PM Reply

  4. wow jayms!!!! sooo excited for you!!!!! just enjoy, again friends will be there to help you out with your training…

    annie agoncillo said on Aug 02 09 at 9:02 PM Reply

  5. NICE!!!! We’re ALL happy for you! I can’t wait for your stories!

    Gigi said on Aug 02 09 at 9:16 PM Reply

  6. good luck tbr! wow that would be a great treat to have a picture taken with lance (keeping fingers crossed):D

    mooomba said on Aug 02 09 at 9:28 PM Reply

  7. Enjoy the race!
    Enjoy the Nike world headquarters also!!!
    I was there last year … and it’s true!
    If you are lucky, Tiger, or Lance or Michael or Kobe just stroll around the area!!! (hehe) And if you are really lucky and “maabilidad,” maybe you could get yourself inside the Nike employees discount store! hehehe :OP

    doralicious said on Aug 02 09 at 9:51 PM Reply

  8. ah! ito yung august race! ang saya saya!!! good luck!

    bards said on Aug 02 09 at 10:02 PM Reply

  9. Is there room for me in the suitcase??? Have a good time and bring home some great stories and photos!

    Jay said on Aug 02 09 at 10:49 PM Reply

  10. wow! this is great! will be eagerly awaiting your updates during the run. congratulations! :D

    joe said on Aug 02 09 at 10:54 PM Reply

  11. Wow, good luck Jaymie! What a great experience. I have some friends who’ve toured the Nike campus, and you’re right, they said it is quite an experience as well.

    Travelers Atlas said on Aug 02 09 at 10:58 PM Reply

  12. good luck! i’ve never been to the Nike Campus. post pictures :)

    ibetlacbay said on Aug 03 09 at 1:19 AM Reply

  13. wishing you a thrilling experience jaymie!

    mie said on Aug 03 09 at 7:23 AM Reply

  14. yey! good luck and enjoy the trip jaymie! ;)

    vimz said on Aug 03 09 at 8:22 AM Reply

  15. Wow, that is a great race opportunity. Enjoy the experience :-)

    ricov said on Aug 03 09 at 9:11 AM Reply

  16. Good Luck Jaymie!!!! make sure you record every minute of the run and post them when you get back.

    Regards Mark & Tiffin!

    m8parco said on Aug 03 09 at 9:30 AM Reply

  17. yeba, for our very own singaporean chili “talangka”! show them how it’s done right.

    will manny pacquiao and nanay dionisia be there too?

    mikey said on Aug 03 09 at 10:28 AM Reply

  18. Congratulations and good luck. I’m sure you’ll do well. :-)

    dingdong said on Aug 03 09 at 11:46 AM Reply

  19. WOW! Good luck Jaymie!

    If they need volunteer marshalls, sign me up. =)

    joms said on Aug 03 09 at 12:23 PM Reply

  20. Race recap na bonggang-bongga! Saya!!! :)

    marga said on Aug 03 09 at 2:01 PM Reply

  21. galing, good luck jaymie!

    odie said on Aug 03 09 at 4:48 PM Reply

  22. these things I just get to read in runnersworld…create a tbrcam and we’ll monitor you from here! this is wow jaymie!!! congratulations!!!

    mond said on Aug 03 09 at 8:04 PM Reply

  23. congrats and have fun!

    hector said on Aug 04 09 at 12:07 PM Reply

  24. Why isn’t this included in your “My Races 2009″ Jaymie??

    Congratulations and good luck! You’re already a winner just by being there Jaymie. Enjoy the trip and the race and the tour and the famous people you’ll bump into.

    But wait . . . who’s gonna be “Jaymie” in runradio this August 28?

    Nora, the golden girl said on Aug 04 09 at 3:02 PM Reply

  25. Congrats and wish you the best Jaymie!

    _Broj and Swthrt

    Bro J said on Aug 04 09 at 3:17 PM Reply

  26. Jaymie, I did the Hood to Coast race in 2006! It’s an incredible race. It’s very tough BUT you will have a A LOT OF FUN!!!!! The scenery is also very beautiful as the race starts near the top of Mt. Hood. Good luck in your training! The most important things for you in training will be (1) being injury-free, and (2) good weekly mileage (almost as if you’re training for a marathon).

    Jud Santos said on Aug 08 09 at 4:34 AM Reply

  27. Good luck Jamie =)

    Don Run said on Aug 08 09 at 12:04 PM Reply

  28. Hi Jaymie,
    Congrats! Am excited for you…I can’t wait to read your blog entries telling us what its like.
    Kaya pala wala ka sa looney tunes.

    I know you can do it…you’ll make us proud again.

    Cheers,
    :)

    ;) 5KRUNNER said on Aug 08 09 at 9:04 PM Reply

  29. Pagkailangan mo ng taga dala ng tubig mo, dito lang ako ha. (“,)

    vince said on Aug 09 09 at 11:04 PM Reply

  30. Great, Jaymie!

    I’m sure you’ll have a great time. Since it’s hood to coast, does that mean that it’s all downhill? =P Have fun! =)

    P.S. I kinda wish RunRadio was another day, since Aug. 28 is the day of my segment in RR =( . Will miss you!

    Cougcat said on Aug 10 09 at 10:06 PM Reply

  31. hello! this is so exciting! aren’t you amazed how far you’ve gone? a chance to run in an amazing place all for free! lucky you! enjoy! tell nike while they’re at it to get you one of those camcorder thingy forgot what they call it (the one surfers use) –you can just clip it on your cap or somewhere so you can record every detail of the run! have fun!

    MARY715 said on Aug 11 09 at 2:39 PM Reply

  32. i did the Wassatch back relay last june in utah. just as tough and over 700 teams. same concept. Its the most fun race i’ve ever been or seen. Im sure you will have the same experience.

    gilbert said on Aug 12 09 at 3:40 PM Reply

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