August 5 and 6 will mark the 15th year of the Cascade Lakes Relay (CLR) and the last year the event will take place in August, with plans to move to June 23 and 24 in 2023. CLR is a fun and challenging 216 mile running relay and 132-mile walking relay and is Central Oregon’s largest sporting event. Teams of 12 people complete the 216-mile course starting in the Cascade Mountains at Diamond Lake Resort, traveling through the Oregon Outback, winding back to the Cascade Lakes Highway around Mt. Bachelor, and finishing at Riverbend Park on the banks of the Deschutes River in Bend.
Scott and Carrie Douglass founded the event in 2008 to showcase their hometown’s beauty. “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, co-founder and COO.
Over 85% of participants travel from outside Central Oregon for this event and since 2008, Cascade Relays Foundation has contributed over $600,000 to local nonprofits, school groups, and community organizations.
“It’s amazing how an event like this brings families, friends, and colleagues together to conquer a difficult race together and have a ton of fun along the way with crazy team themes and creative costumes,” says Scott, co-founder and CEO.
Cascade Relays is committed to creating a quality experience for runners while keeping its participants and their families, friends, and volunteers safe. In an effort to minimize risk to its participants and increase the positive impact on the community, Cascade Relays is excited to announce the move of their annual event to the beginning of the summer on June 23 and 24. This popular annual event will now be hosted the weekend following Father’s Day in the future.
The organizers hope this move will make the event safer and more enjoyable for all, with cooler temperature and less likelihood of fire and smoke. “In the past five years, we have experienced extreme temperatures, poor and sometimes unhealthy air quality, and forest fires that threatened our ability to safely produce CLR the first weekend of August. In 2021, the Bootleg Fire caused us to drastically adjust our event only several days prior and nearly every year we are faced with challenging conditions due to a changing climate. We are thrilled to have the support of our community and our permitting agencies in moving this event to June to kick off the summer season,” added Scott.
