Hood to Coast: 197 miles from Mt Hood, Oregon, to Seaside. Twelve runners, two vans, a lot of sweat, a bit of blood, zero sleep, countless Red Bulls – unlimited vibes.

The 2023 edition of this race brought its own twists – 90-degree heat (32°C) with unrelenting sun made for an interesting first set of legs, but also meant that sunset was a welcome reprieve. The race was also busy, with 1,400 teams getting out there.

Nike’s Bowerman Track Club crossed the line first overall in the men’s division, with a time of 17:31:09 (5:21 per mile, 3:20 per km), and the Bowerman Babes won the women’s division with a time of 23:10:54 (7:05 per mile, 4:24 per km).

In the end, my crew, The Lostboys, achieved our goal of winning the mixed division, setting a time of 19:00:14, an average of 5:49 per mile or 3:37 per kilometre. But we were pushed all the way by Mill City’s fast squad, who finished right behind the Lostboys in 19:15:08 (5:53 per mile, 3:40 per km). Never had I experienced a race at Hood to Coast where both teams were so close the entire time, continuously overlapping at exchange zones. And this is what it’s all about: competition pushing both teams to dig deeper and find their best. No doubt that the course record will fall if this keeps happening.

And not to be outdone, the Mill City fun squad did indeed have the most fun on the course according to multiple eyewitnesses. From rolling into their van at 7am to finishing at the beach around noon the next day, the team kept the energy electric the entire time, all 25 hours, 16 minutes and 17 seconds.

Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t shout out Cheribundi, MUSH, Bandit Running, and Nike for supporting these squads and making this possible.

For now, enjoy the scenes below. Onward to 2024.

Photos: Pierce Townsend

Photos: Charlie Townes

Photos: Ali Gradischer