(Photo courtesy of Cascade Lakes Relay)
August 4-5 will mark the 10th Anniversary of the Cascade Lakes Relay (CLR), Central Oregon’s largest running event with 3,500 participants hailing from 34 states and 5 countries. Runners start early Friday morning from Diamond Lake Resort and run throughout the day and night for 216 miles, finishing at Riverbend Park on Saturday.
Teams can have a maximum of 12 runners, with each participant running an average of 18 miles. Runners endure extreme heat during the day, cold temperatures at night, 10,000 feet of elevation gain and loss, vicious mosquitoes, aggressive bees and lots of dust as they run from Diamond Lake to Silver Lake, through La Pine and around the backside of the Cascade Lakes Highway to finish in Bend at Riverbend Park.
Approximately 750 runners are local to Central Oregon, with the remaining 80% traveling to Central Oregon for the annual event, primarily from the Pacific Northwest. The race sells out on October 1st for the event the following August, with the majority of participants returning year after year.
“We have several teams who have run all 10 years, and some teams who started as college roommates are now coming to Central Oregon with their kids, or families who started running with two generations now have three generations participating. It’s amazing how an event like this brings families and friends and colleagues together to conquer a difficult race together and have a ton of fun along the way,” says Co-Founder and CEO Scott Douglass.
“We often describe the Cascade Lakes Relay as one part race, two parts road trip, a splash of camping and top it off with a rocking finish line at Riverbend Park with six local breweries, music, and an iconic river to cool those aching muscles.”
The 10th Anniversary will be marked with a commemorative poster as well as a special gift for runners who have participated all 10 years.
Scott and Carrie Douglass created the race 10 years ago as a way to showcase their hometown. “We had run similar races and thought we could provide an even better experience, while showcasing the amazing scenery and local spirit of Central Oregon,” says Carrie Douglass, Co-Founder and COO.
Unlike other relays, which have focused on being the largest, the focus for Cascade Relays is quality and maintaining an intimate, family feel.
“We encourage our teams to support every team out there, whether that means sharing water, stopping to cheer on a runner from another team, or helping to pull another team’s van out of a soft red cinder shoulder,” says Douglass. The race started with 800 runners in 2008 and began selling out in 2010. Organizers have held a lottery for the past seven years, as demand for the race far outpaces accepted teams.
Cascade Relays works extremely hard to provide a positive benefit for the community and to minimize any negative impact on the community.
“We were born and raised here, and we want to ensure our events are a net positive to the community we love,” says Carrie, who is also the president of the Cascade Relays Foundation. The Cascade Relays Foundation annually donates over $70,000 annually to local non-profits and community groups and has contributed over $300,000 since 2008. The Cascade Relays Foundation supports organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club and Ronald McDonald House as well as a number of small charities in La Pine and Silver Lake, who face challenges in meeting annual fundraising goals.
Co-Founders Scott and Carrie Douglass are part of a growing list of entrepreneurs making their home in Central Oregon. They are also the pro-bono event managers for TEDxBend, the Ronald McDonald House Stronger Together Walk and the Boys and Girls Club Thanksgiving Classic. Carrie Douglass was recently elected to the Bend-La Pine School Board and is the managing partner of a national nonprofit called Education Cities.
Scott Douglass
Cascade Relays
Founder and Chief Endorphin Officer (CEO)
541-350-4635
scott@cascaderelays.com
