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Willamette Valley Road Runners (WVRR)
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Peak to Port Relay

On September 14, 2002, Rob Rickard, Lee Fields, Gary Parcher, and I (The "G C Double Crossers") did the second annual Peak to Port Relay. This 60.2-mile-long relay travels from the top of 4,097’ Mary’s Peak, highest point in the Oregon Coast Range, to the Rogue Brewery on the south side of the Yaquina Bay Bridge in Newport. There were fifteen teams in this year’s edition of the event, up from two last year. Next year, Mike Wilson, the race director, is hopeful of attracting at least thirty entries. If our experience has anything to do with it, he should have no problem in doing so.

Again, the relay starts atop scenic Mary’s Peak, with marvelous, unobstructed views of the Valley, Cascades and Coast Range, comes off the mountain, and winds down through the scenic, mostly forested (Big) Elk Creek drainage to the Yaquina River. It then follows the tidal reach of the Yaquina through Toledo and along the bay all the way down to Newport, where it crosses the Highway 101 Bridge. Except for Toledo and Newport, the run’s character is overwhelmingly rural. In fact, half of it is run over narrow, winding gravel roads, and it has a very rustic and remote feel to it.

The twelve legs vary between 1.9 and 8 miles in length, and each runner does approximately fifteen miles total in three legs. Three legs are predominantly downhill, while another three have both up- and downhills. The rest are essentially flat to gently rolling along creek or bay side. The legs compare reasonably well in difficulty with Hood to Coast or Rainier to Pacific run segments, but the rest intervals between legs are very short, and with only four runners, your next leg is never more than three runners away. This gives the relay real immediacy and intensity. In that sense, it is almost more like The Civil War Relay. We found ourselves suitably challenged and almost constantly "huffing and puffing."

But we had a good time. We ran well, albeit slowly (hey, we total about 235 years among the four of us!). The scenery was great. Our exchanges were uncrowded and our competitors cordial. Divisions were simple: female (all women), mixed (two women/two men), and male (three or more men)—and no age groups! The event was well organized, and the course was very well marked and runable. Of course, the beer, food, and camaraderie at the brewery were excellent. And you should have been there to see the sunrise atop Mary’s Peak—simply exquisite! Best of all, perhaps, we listened to OSU trampling UNLV as we drove home and passed Reser Stadium, and we were home by 8:00 PM. It had been a fine event and a very good day. I’ll bet we’ll be there again next year!

Eb Engelmann