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2021
The Providence Hood and Portland To Coast Relay, located in Oregon, is the most popular relay race in the world, annually drawing participants from over 40 countries. Known as the Mother of All Relays, the event takes 12-member relay teams 199 miles running or 130 miles walking from the iconic top of Mount Hood to the beaches of the Pacific Ocean. The event has sold-out for 30 straight years and on lottery opening day for 23 consecutive years.
DATE: August 27-28, 2021
THE RELAY:
HTC: 199 mi Run // PTC: 130 mi Walk // NEW PTC Challenge: 130 mi Run
PARTICIPANTS PER TEAM:
8-12 members per team
REGISTRATION FEE:
HTC: $2,060 // PTC: $1,400 // NEW PTC Challenge: $1,400
The Mother of All Relays reaches its capacity every year on opening day of registration.
The NEW Portland To Coast Run Challenge continues in the spirit of Hood To Coast, but starts with festivities along the Willamette River, adjacent to the Tilikum Crossing Bridge for a 130 mile running adventure with your best running friends, family, coworkers, or neighbors. The PTC Challenge has now expanded to include entry for teams of adult runners as well as youth from ages 14 on up! The PTC Challenge Relay starts Friday late afternoon, and joins with Hood To Coast runners and Portland To Coast walkers for the event course and festivities all the way to the beach! Get your team (8-12 runners) and JOIN US for a very limited spot with the Mother of All Relays!
The Mother of All Relays top priority is preserving participant and volunteer safety as we proactively ensure a safe and inspiring 2021 race:
Additional Q&A can be found here. Relay events are innately socially distanced, as only one member of a relay team participates at any given time. Therefore, even the most popular relay race in the world, the 39th annual Hood To Coast & Portland To Coast Relays, which annually hosts over 18,000 participants, will have 1,450 participants dispersed throughout a 200-mile race course. That is one participant every 739 feet.
Relay events are innately socially distanced, as only one member of a relay team participates at any given time. Therefore, even the most popular relay race in the world, the 39th annual Hood To Coast & Portland To Coast Relays, which annually hosts over 18,000 participants, will have 1,450 participants dispersed throughout a 200-mile race course. That is one participant every 739 feet.
We welcome other races/events to copy our protocols and implementation for the safety and benefit of all. Movement is so important to ensuring mental and physical well-being. We believe in the power of running and walking to uplift each of us, and in these times it’s never been more important to help each other achieve balance in mind and body. We will continue to do all we can to help the world achieve this goal.
There is a 36-hour finish time limit. This is a pace of 10:00 per mile (6:15 per km) running for Hood To Coast. This is part of several permits to use the roads and have all participants off the course by 9:00pm, Saturday August 28, 2021. If your team is close to a 36 hour finish at the beach, your team may be asked by race officials in the latter ¼ of the course to “leap-frog” by having two teammates run/walk simultaneously.
If a team is confirmed accepted, there are no entry refunds, transfers or deferments, which has been in effect for 39 years of the Mother of All Relays.
The 40th anniversary Hood To Coast, 31st annual Portland To Coast Walk and Portland To Coast Run Challenge lottery for 2022 will take place OCTOBER 6, 2021!
From 3:00am – 7:00am and after 6:00pm, runners/walkers while participating must:
Carry a flashlight (headlight or similar)
Wear one front and one back LED flasher.
Wear a reflective vest (vest must be worn until 9:00am)
Teammates/support personnel are highly recommended to wear a reflective vest and LED flasher (when not inside the race vehicle), on the course or at any exchange, from 6:00pm – 9:00am. All participants are encouraged to wear high visibility colors during all hours.
Teams or participants found sleeping in un-designated sleeping areas (such as exchange parking) MUST move to one of the designated sleeping areas (Exchange 18, 24, and 30) or risk being disqualified.
Participants are allowed to use small tents in designated sleeping fields – except Exchange 30!
If participants do not agree to move to a designated sleeping area (roped off with stakes and caution/surveyor’s tape), they will be disqualified from the race. This is a safety issue of high important.
HEADPHONES
Music devices with speakers below the head or outside of the ear are allowed.
Headphones/buds or any other music devices in the ear ARE NOT allowed.
Music must be at a sound level considered appropriate to both the general public and other participants.
Participants must still be able to hear instructions and general traffic noises.
If a Volunteer or Race Official deems the music too loud, the participant must turn down the volume immediately, failure to comply will result in immediate disqualification.
BIKE PATROL
The race hires 18 bike safety patrol riders to monitor Springwater Trail from legs 9-12 from 7pm to last runner, as well as over 40 motorcycle safety patrol riders from Legs 13-35 for the entire race time period. Look for them, wearing race official shirts,
reflective vest, LED flashers and have event radios for communication if needed.
OPEN CONTAINER LAW
Oregon State Law clearly states that no open containers of alcohol are permitted within vehicles.
Save the celebration for the Finish Party!
Police will be strongly enforcing this law on the course.
COURSE CLOSURE
The Race Course and Finish Area will close Saturday evening at 9:00pm.
Any teams still on the course at that time will be requested by Race Officials to either discontinue the race, or plan on finishing by having more than one teammate run at the same time, called “Leap Frogging.”
All teams are seeded to finish before the course officially closes, provided your team has supplied honest race pace times.
SELF POLICING
No traffic or police monitors are promised to protect runners and walkers from vehicular traffic along the course.
Great care must be exercised at all times by participants and team vehicles.
Participants must travel along the right road shoulder or sidewalk (unless otherwise stated), and obey all Oregon traffic laws and signals.
Self-policing of our event is the reason we will have a lack of injuries or traffic-related mishaps.
FIRST AID
Teams are responsible for supplying an adequate first aid kit to treat: blisters, abrasion, headaches, heat exhaustion, and other common ailments.
Most running/walking injuries are directly related to soft tissue trauma and are effectively treated with ice.
We strongly recommend bringing a cooler filled with ice (remember R.I.C.E: Rest Ice Compression Elevation).
COMMUNICATIONS
There will be a radio at every exchange point along the race course. If you see anyone in need of assistance, please get their race number, and if possible, let the Exchange Leader with a radio know at the next Exchange Point. They are capable of bringing in an ambulance or even Life Flight if necessary.
EMERGENCIES
In case of emergency, (Start, on course roads, or at Finish), it is each participant/team’s responsibility to seek their own appropriate medical/emergency care. (Remember to write your emergency medical info where provided on the back of your race bib!)
HYDRATION & FIRE DANGER
Let’s all do our part to reduce the chance of a forest or grass fire! Each team vehicle should carry a fire extinguisher, shovel, and gallon(s) of water.
No aid stations guaranteed along the course
Participants are strongly urged to carry large containers of water in team vehicles!
Most important step you can take during the race is to continuously hydrate (drink non-caffeinated fluids and water).
Recommended intake: 12-16 cups of water per day
30 MINUTE PENALTY
Race Numbers/Wrist Wraps
-Race bibs must be worn at all times, and the Wrist Wrap must be carried/worn at all times throughout the race.
No stopping on road or in exchange parking area prior to parking
-No stopping, when vehicles are moving, to drop off a runner/walker. This quickly causes a backup of congestion if vans do not adhere to the rule.
Vehicles Following Participants
-No vehicles will be allowed to follow behind participants to illuminate the road during night-time legs. These vehicles severely impede traffic.
Conduct on Race Course
-Any conduct deemed unsafe or unsportsmanlike by Race Officials will not be tolerated. Do not obstruct traffic, play loud music, yell, or honk horns early in the morning or at night in rural/neighborhood areas. Also, no van decorations that are overtly suggestive, sexual, or that contain foul language.
No Parking on Road Prior to Exchange
– No parking is allowed along the roads within 500 feet prior to an exchange. Parking is allowed in designated areas only after the exchange point marker. Please park off the road as far as possible, watch for participants, and stay alert to other traffic.
60 MINUTE PENALTY
Participant Rotation
-All teams are to rotate their team members in the same sequence throughout the race, not consecutively in a row. For example, if a participant begins on Leg 2, he/she must stay in the number 2 position throughout the race. The participant would then rotate to Leg 8.This sequence should continue unless a teammate has dropped out.)
Mixed Division Participant Drop Out
-If a participant on a Mixed Division team becomes injured and drops out during a leg, the injured runner/walker must be replaced with the next team member in rotation of the same gender. (See handbook for additional details and examples.)
Participant Drop Out
-If a team member drops out due to injury or illness during a leg, only the next runner/walker in rotation can take the wrist wrap to continue, (but only to the next exchange point.) The next person in rotation can only finish the unfinished portion of the previous leg and go no further. A handoff must occur at the exchange point to the next participant in rotation. No more than one substitution in one legis allowed. (See handbook for additional details and examples.)
Race Officials
-Course volunteers, O.D.O.T, and traffic safety officials at exchanges are considered Race Officials. They have the authority to disqualify a team for rule violations, abusive behavior, or failure to follow instructions given by volunteers. Abusive treatment of disregard for their authority will result, at minimum, in a 60-minute penalty.
Display of Team Vehicle Signs
-Each team is to have one (1) vehicle. Official vehicle signs will be issued to each team (in the team bag given at packet pickup or the race check-in tent). A 60-minute penalty will be assessed for failure to properly display these signs. A team found with more than one vehicle on the race course will be disqualified.
DISQUALIFICATION
Safety Gear
From 3:00am-7:00am and after 6:00 pm, all participants on the course must:
-Carry a flashlight (headlamp or similar)
-Wear one front and one back LED flasher.
-Wear reflective vest until 9:00am
Save the Party for the Finish!
-Open alcoholic containers, drinking, inebriated participants or volunteers on the course will immediately be disqualified.
No Bicycles or Dogs
-No bicycles or dogs are allowed to accompany participants on the race course. Team members found biking the course are assumed to be accompanying participants and the team will be disqualified.
Public Nuisance Rule
-Participants who are reported to have littered, urinated, or defecated on private property will immediately be disqualified. Please use good judgment and be considerate of property owners along the course. Portable toilets and ample garage containers are provided at each exchange point.
No Oversize Vehicles
-No vehicles 80” or wider, or longer than 23’, motor homes, buses, limos are allowed on the course by any team or team support. If you have doubts about the legality of your vehicle, contact the HTC/PTC office prior to the relay.
Start Time
-Any teams found starting the race earlier than their assigned start time will be disqualified.
Headphones
-Headphones/buds or any other music devices in the ear are NOT allowed. Participants must still be able to hear instructions and general traffic noises. Failure to comply will result in disqualification.
Teams with at least one member residing within a 100 mile radius of Portland are considered local and are required to provide three race volunteers. There is no buy-out option. Captains/teams are responsible for ensuring their volunteers complete the mandatory online training, are appointed their job, show up on time, and fulfill the required tasks.
Captains/teams may provide one Exchange Leader in substitution of the three volunteers, while positions last.
See July-August key dates for timelines of volunteer registration opening/closing and mandatory online training.
We ask volunteers to engage with us in recognizing and appreciating diversity and commit to equity through inclusive event engagement so that we deepen ties with diverse participants and volunteers, and promote healthy living in the broader running and walking community.
As the official airline of the Hood to Coast/Portland to Coast Relays, Alaska Airlines is pleased to provide discounted travel for participants! Fly Alaska Airlines to Portland and save 10% on flights from any city in the U.S. or Canada (excluding Hawaii and Prudhoe Bay)! Registered participants will receive an email with the travel discount information.
Our team produces the renowned, incredibly fun Hood to Coast Race Series. Check out our events here.
Questions? Email office@htcrelay.com
1) Current Captain must log into Team Clubhouse
2) Click on ‘Captain Tools’ and over to Change Team Captain
3) Select the team member you would like as captain and click on the green thumbs up
NOTE: Once the role of Captain has been transferred, the former Captain will no longer be able to invite/remove team members, edit team info, etc.
Please visit our Team Matching Forum site or Hood To Coast Facebook page.
Yes! Check out the new HTC Training Team, presented by ActiveEDGE Wellness Center. Whether you are a veteran runner, or you are lookingto run your first 5K , the HTC Training Team will provide the support and training to achieve your ultimate goals.
ActiveEDGE Personal Trainer and Running Coach Willee Broberg will guide you
every step of the way, while being supported by ActiveEDGE Physical Therapists,
Dieticians, and Athletic Trainers.
Click here to learn more and register!
www.activeedgewellness.com/htc-training-team/
The Team Category will update automatically on the ‘Team Roster’ page as team members register.
Each leg ranges in distance from over 3 to 7 miles. All legs are accessible, with the exception of those noted here as not being recommended for athletes using wheeled devices or hand cycles:
*Legs 1-3: paved but extremely steep downhill, descending over 4,500 ft elevation in approximately 15 miles.
*Leg 9: Over 4 (of 5.38 miles) is rough, fairly large gravel/rocks (from start of Springwater Trail to Hogan Road).
*Legs 20, 21, 35: rough rocky gravel.
*Leg 36: participants cross a very steep, narrow pedestrian bridge over HWY 101. The last 150 feet of Leg 36 is in sand in crossing the Finish Line.
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