Cascade Lakes Relay - The Adventure Continues...

It was 12 midnight, and the banana we'd stuck to our van window that morning was still holding on (despite baking all afternoon in the beastly heat).

But my Monkey Butter teammates and I kind of felt like that melted banana........

"Smile!  Remember, you paid to do this!"

We'd survived our first legs of Central Oregon's Cascade Lakes Relay, running in searing 100+ degree temperatures (if you missed part one, you can catch up here.)  But my team still had two more sections to go.  After an extremely short rest at La Pine High School, we headed back east to meet up with van one and start our second legs.

Karl is ready to rave!

We followed a narrow forest service road through lonely woods.  This road was part of the relay course, and driving it reverse gave us a chance to preview our upcoming legs.  As the van climbed over a particularly steep hill, the guys gave Karl a hard time (he was the unlucky runner that had to traverse it!)

The van exchange was located at a remote campground in the middle of nowhere.  But the place was anything but serene - bright lights flooded the area, and a DJ blasted upbeat tunes at ear-splitting volume.  People were dancing and shouting.  Too much energy for 1:30 in the morning!

Team "Magnum PR"

The Cascade Lakes Relay had lots of fun contests.  This particular leg awarded prizes to the "ultimate raver."  Runners were judged by the amount of flashy lights and other wild reflective items attached to their clothing.  The "brightest" runner won.  Wanting to get in on the action, my teammates and I decked Karl out with as many blinky lights and glow necklaces that we could find.  We thought he looked pretty good - a definite contender!

This awesome volunteer dressed up as Ms. Pacman

Karl took off in the chilly, dark night to tackle the humongous hill.  Being the next runner, I began to prep myself for the longest of my three legs - a 6.9 mile jaunt down this lonesome forest service road. Donning headlamp and reflective vest (required for all nighttime legs), at the last minute I added an extra long sleeve layer after realizing I could see my breath outside!  Then came the long wait at the exchange, trying to keep warm and determine which incoming runner was Karl. 

I liked this team's name!

Finally a brightly-lit Karl materialized out of the night.  I grabbed the wristband from him, and slid into the inky darkness.  At first, it took a few minutes for my eyes to adjust to the surroundings.  Then, I familiarized myself with peering through the headlamp's tiny light circle.  And finally, I began scanning the pavement edge.  My teammates had warned me about potholes and crumbling pavement (this was an old forest service road) and the last thing I wanted to do was trip way out here.  The shoulder got so bad, I ended up running in the middle of the travel lane.  Traffic was no problem - the only vehicles this time of night were other relay participants, and they all knew to look out for runners.

Sleepy runners....

Despite the long distance, I was happy for the cold temperatures.  Heaven compared to the previous afternoon's inferno!  Once my body warmed up, I began to enjoy the run.  This leg was mostly downhill, and it felt as if there were wings attached to my feet.  (Gravity was my friend!)  The sky above was lit with millions of bright stars.  The night was calm and quiet.  A few runners passed me in the first mile, but after that I was by myself, only interrupted when other race vehicles passed by.  My teammates stopped twice to check on me, but after assuring them I was doing great, they moved on to the next exchange.

Gorgeous Elk Lake

In all the relays I've run, the night legs have always been my favorite.  This time was no exception.  Feeling totally redeemed from the afternoon's miserable leg, I was almost sorry when the "one mile to go" sign appeared.  Well....almost!

Passing off to Brandi, a wave of relief washed over me.  Two down, only one to go!

Chilling sore legs

The rest of the night passed quickly.  Brandi's leg took her back into La Pine, where the guys and I awaited her arrival at the local McDonald's (where despite my dislike for their food, I couldn't pass up a hot Egg McMuffin).  Then we followed Turi through La Pine where he handed off to Sam at a local church, who opened up their doors and restrooms for us tired runners (thank you!!).

At this exchange, I began to notice some of the faster teams starting to pass us.  "Magnum PR" was one of my favorites.  The guys all wore Hawaiian shirts and had grown their mustaches to look like Tom Selleck.  At each exchange, someone would tote in a large speaker that blasted peppy music.  Once their runner approached, the music switched to the "Magnum PI" theme song.  This team was a lot of fun, and unfortunately I only saw them at two exchanges before they got ahead of us.

Rick represented well in the costume contest

The next exchange, where Matt waited to take the "baton" from Sam, I chatted with a super-enthusiastic volunteer.  She was dressed up as Ms. Pacman and her costume was so creative, I just had to take a photo.  After the handoff to Matt was complete, our van of sleepy monkeys drove into the rising sun, happy to be almost done with our second legs.

He ran two miles in this getup!

Our next van exchange was near the shores of Wickiup Reservoir.  We piled out of our now impossibly messy van and loitered around waiting for Matt and van one to show up.  Things got a little bit tense as Matt's estimated arrival time neared and there was still no sign of our van one teammates.  Then, at the last minute someone spotted their vehicle pulling into the parking area.  We flagged them down, and Steve hurried to meet us.  Good thing, as Matt came steaming into the exchange shortly thereafter.

Waiting for van one at Mt. Bachelor

Now my van mates and I had another well-deserved break.  And after being up all night, we needed it!  Rumor had it there were places to rest at nearby Elk Lake.  Karl guided our van towards this lovely resort area.  Matt, Turi, and I were so tired we fell asleep en route, and Brandi got a photo of us dozing in the back seat.

Final van handoff!

At the resort, I persuaded a very nice lady to let me use their bathroom so I could brush my teeth and change clothes.  Meanwhile, my teammates laid out their sleeping bags in the nearby woods and crashed.  Not wanting to go through the trouble of getting out my stuff, I opted to curl up on the van's back seat instead.  Although still mid-morning the sunny skies were already heating up.  It was gonna be another hot day.

Waiting for Karl in Mt Bachelor's shadow

While my van two teammates and I were resting at Elk Lake, another fun CLR contest was happening close by.  Leg 28, a mere 2.2 miles in length, was also the famed costume leg.  Teams dressed their runners is wacky attire, hoping to win the grand prize.  Before the relay, Brandi and I had combed the internet and local party stores for a monkey costume, but couldn't find an inexpensive option.  While driving to Diamond Lake the night before, someone got the idea to put our large monkey on the runner's back and have him wear a monkey mask.

Ready to support Karl

So that's what Rick, our lucky leg 28 runner, ended up wearing.  He did an awesome job representing team Monkey Butter Express - even running with that hot rubber mask on his face the entire two miles!  His photo appeared on Cascade Relay's Instagram feed, and our team ended up with a top 5 finish in the costume contest.  Not too shabby for a last minute idea!

Runner encouragement

After a very fitful hour of attempting to rest most of my teammates and I gave it up (ever try to sleep in a noisy parking lot in broad daylight?)  A few of us wandered to the lakeshore and cooled our tired legs in Elk Lake's chilly, but refreshing waters.  The resort area was filling up fast with CLR teams, and to avoid the crowds we decided to head to our final van exchange, the parking lot of Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort.

Turi readies his handoff

The lovely Cascade Lakes Highway took us towards Mt. Bachelor.  On the way, we passed runners laboring up the steep grade towards the mountain.  My van mates and I all expressed gratitude we didn't have to run up that!  But we cheered out the window and rang cowbells to encourage all those poor folks that got the short straw.

Sam sprints to the finish

Normally I only visit Mt. Bachelor in winter months, so it was weird to see the ski area without snow.  Delighted that their bathrooms were open, I jumped at the chance to use a real flushing toilet (after 26 hours on the road, I was tired of porta-potties).  We hung out, ate, people-watched, and listened to the wide variety of music blaring from vans (everything from rap, hard rock, disco, hip-hop, and John Denver!)

Sam hands off to Matt

Towards noon, we got the word Michael was heading toward the exchange, so Karl hustled over to accept the wristwrap for the final time.  Hand-off complete, the rest of us took off down the road to meet Karl part way.  Although a stiff wind was blowing off the mountain, it the sun had begun to heat things up once again.  Brandi chose a scenic spot along the road, with a killer view of Mt. Bachelor to park and wait for our runner.  Water sprayer and cowbells in hand, when Karl passed by, he got the royal treatment.

Waiting at the finish line for Matt

I anxiously awaited my final turn.  A mere 2.2 miles, not only was my leg short, it was downhill, AND the Ten Barrel Brewing Company was giving teams free six packs at the end!  Grabbing the wristwrap from Karl for the last time, I happily zipped down the highway shoulder.  The steep grade seemed to pull me effortlessly downhill and my last run passed quickly.  Imagine my surprise when upon finishing, not only was there beer, but a frozen yogurt truck had set up shop.  Hot from my run, the frozen yogurt trumped a cold beer, and I had just enough time to enjoy a frosty bowl of goodness before hopping in the van en route to the next exchange.

Van one guys - Rick, Effren and Mike

Brandi, Turi, and Sam both took turns running down the shoulder of the Cascade Lakes Highway, heading into Bend.  The closer we got to town, the more the wind died down and the hotter the air became.  By the time it was Matt's turn it was downright toasty once again.  But Matt was our last runner, and once he started his final leg, we were happy to be almost done.

After a couple of miscues, my teammates and I located Riverbend Park, the official CLR finish line, in the heart of Bend.  We had just enough time to park, locate our van one compadres, and have a few quick conversations, before Matt was spotted approaching the finish.

Team photo - we did it!

The best part of any relay - the entire team joins its last runner and crosses the finish line together.  As Matt reached the park, we gathered around him and gingerly tried to keep up as he headed under the inflatable finish arch (lots of sore muscles that didn't want to run anymore!).  It was a wonderful feeling to complete a relay, that at the toasty beginning, I wasn't sure I'd survive.

Now - time for some beer!!

So glad it's over!

I love running for the Monkey Butter Express - we always gather a great group of people.  Brandi did an amazing job as team captain, scrambling to recruit last-minute replacements after nearly half of our runners dropped out.  And Effren takes the badass prize for running the longest total distance - his three legs combined to over 25 miles!

I had a wonderful experience - the Cascade Lakes Relay was well-organized, traversed some gorgeous scenery, and there was a great spirit of camaraderie among the participants.  Despite the ungodly heat, I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Not only did my team survive the challenge, as we unloaded our trusty van I noticed that banana, now a very dark shade of brown, still holding fast to the window....

Cascade Lakes Relay

Our team captain Brandi said it best when she described this as the "hottest, hardest, highest, heaviest" relay we'd ever attempted.

The monkey van at Crater Lake

I've run many relays with the Monkey Butter Express - a team loosely made up of folks from a local transit agency, construction company, and other associated friends.  I had three Hood to Coasts and one Epic Oregon Relay under my belt.  But this year my team decided to try something new - Central Oregon's Cascade Lakes Relay (CLR).

Diamond Lake and Mt. Bailey at sunrise

Taking place in late July, this race crosses the heart of Central Oregon's high desert.  Starting at lovely Diamond Lake, the route traverses mountain trails, ponderosa forests, arid rangeland, sparkling mountain lakes, and climbs the shoulder of Mt. Bachelor, before finishing in the town of Bend.  Runners battle everything from blistering heat, freezing nights, steep climbs, high elevation mountain passes, remote gravel roads, and vicious mosquitoes.  A total distance of 216 miles, this relay would be a genuine challenge.

MBE Van one

But we monkeys were up for it!  The night before, our team of 12 met up at the Diamond Lake Campground.  After setting up our tents (and battling zillions of mosquitoes) everyone crashed early.

Morning came way too soon.  Our first van was scheduled to start at 7 am, so we did a hasty decorating job on their vehicle.  Then I made the guys pose for a group photo.  And I couldn't resist a shot of teammate Sam wearing this creepy monkey mask!

Creepy monkey mask

The starting line was a hub of activity, even at that early hour.  Peppy music blared and crowds cheered as the runners gathered under an inflatable arch.

With about 300 teams participating, the race organizers staggered start times.  Waves of 20 teams were released every 20 minutes.  The slowest teams received the earliest times, while the faster ones got to sleep in a bit.

Our starting wave

Steve, our first runner, took his place with the other participants.  Before I knew it, the crowd was counting down, and they were off!

The pack thundered by, on their way around the entire west side of Diamond Lake.  We bid our van one teammates goodbye.  First on the course, each one would run a "leg," ranging in distance from 5.5 to 11 miles.  Once all six runners had completed a leg, it would be our van's turn.

And they're off!

With our first group on the course, my other teammates and I busied ourselves packing up the campsite and decorating our van.

Last-minute monkey adjustments

Wacky van decorations are a fun part of relays.  My team has always done well in this department. Between colorful window writing, witty banners, and the free world supply of small stuffed monkeys affixed everywhere, our red Eurovan was an attention-getter.  This year, we even included a real banana!  But hot weather was predicted that day, and we all took bets on how long it would hold up.

This banana stayed put the entire race!

My team has a tradition of tying a large inflatable monkey on top of our relay vehicles.  Sadly, every year the monkey always loses its air.  But Brandi had purchased new inflatables, and this time we had high hopes they'd last the entire race.

Reattaching a few decorations

As we pulled out of the campground, our decorations got their first big test.  Sadly, some of them quickly failed!  This necessitated an emergency roadside stop for last minute adjustments.

Ultra-blue Crater Lake

Since Crater Lake was close by, I talked my teammates into a quick detour.  We had just enough time to drive into the park, find the first overlook, and ooh and aah for five minutes.

 And of course, I got few team pics!  Here's my van-mates (L to R) Sam, Matt, Brandi, Karl and Turi.

MBE Van two (minus me) at Crater Lake

From Crater Lake, my teammates and I traveled to a designated waiting area, a small convenience store and campground beside Hwy 97.  Van two wasn't allowed on the course until our first van's runner arrived at exchange four.  We all spent a long three hours, eating, reading, and napping, waiting for the phone call.  And as we waited, temperatures began to soar. 

How many girls can you fit under an umbrella?

Today's temperatures were predicted to be the highest of the summer, easily reaching 100 degrees.  Every time I emerged from our shady parking spot, the air felt scorching.  This didn't bode well for van two.  All our legs were scheduled for afternoon - the hottest part of the day! 

Brandi is ready with the sprayer!

Finally around one o'clock our captain received the awaited call.  It was time to move!  Our destination - exchange 6 where van one would hand off to my teammates and I.

We took off down a narrow forest service road.  The route passed by ponderosa pine woods and wide open rangeland.  After 20 minutes, we arrived at a dusty parking area in the middle of nowhere.  Dozens of vans crowded a small forest clearing, and a large crowd of people gathered at the convergence of two gravel roads.  This was exchange six.

Turi runs with Michael to the exchange

Relay exchange points are always people watching at its finest!  Many teams were dressed in crazy costumes - one had an "anchorman" theme going with everyone in suits (don't know how they could stand the heat!) while a couple of other guys wore nothing but very tiny tiger-print speedos (which was kind of disturbing...)  Every team had some sort of water spraying device, with the tanks and wands used for lawn fertilizer application being the most popular (brand new of course!)

After a long hot wait in the blazing sun, (that red rock gravel road seemed to amplify the heat) we finally spotted Michael, van one's 6th runner, approaching the exchange.  Karl, our van's first runner, grabbed the "baton," a slappy wrist bracelet, and took off down the road.  Van two was now officially on the course!

Karl gets a spray from Brandi

My van-mates and I piled into our vehicle in pursuit of Karl.  His leg was 5.5 miles in length and we wanted to stop a couple of times to spray him with water.  Although Karl had little shade and one big hill, he took the hot run in stride.  I, on the other hand, being next in line, was feeling a wee bit apprehensive about running in these scorching temperatures.

The pig van - our favorite

Arriving at the next exchange point, I immediately began to prepare myself, both physically and mentally for my first leg.  Although it was the shortest distance of these six, a mere 3.8 miles, I hadn't done much training in hot weather (I normally run in the early mornings).  But I carried a water bottle, and draped a wet bandana around my neck.  Promising myself to take it easy, I grabbed the slappy bracelet from Karl, and dutifully took off into the heat.

Boy was I glad to see this sign!

It didn't take long for the temperatures to affect me.  Even though I tried to take things slower than normal, I could feel my body wilting.  Not only was my leg entirely in direct sun, it was also a gradual uphill the whole way.  Heat radiated up from the asphalt, zapping all energy.  My shoes felt like they were melting into the pavement.

My teammates pulled over twice to spray me down and offer ice water (a lifesaver!) and other wonderful teams also sprayed me as I passed by (one even offered me gummy bears!)  But halfway through my leg, I started to feel chills and a tiny bit of nausea.  That was it - spotting another lady ahead of me who was walking, I decided to do the same.  I reasoned there were two more legs to run, and I didn't want to get sick on my first one.  Self preservation! 

Turi is off!

Feeling like a total wimp, I ended up walking nearly half my leg.  But I reasoned it was better than suffering heat exhaustion.  Just for show, I did finish the last few yards in a slow jog.  Never was I so happy to hand off to Brandi!

We're strong monkeys!

Poor Brandi - not only did she have to run along the same hot, shadeless, mostly uphill road as I, she had to cover 7 miles - twice the distance of my leg.  But she performed like a champ.  We stopped a couple of times and I handed her ice cubes from the cooler, while another teammate sprayed water.  When Brandi handed off to Turi, she looked beat.  But she recovered quickly, and was soon her cheerful self again.

Turi hands off to Sam

Turi had the longest leg of this series - a tough 8.4 miles ending with a brutal hill climb.  The only saving grace was that the sun went under some high clouds, cooling things off a tiny bit.  But Turi, who participates in ultra-marathons, ran a strong leg.

This exchange was on someone's ranch

We passed the time making roadside stops to spray off runners, as well as our own teammate.  Brandi spotted a good-looking shirtless man approaching, and made sure to give him a misting (which garnered teasing from the rest of us).  My teammates and I also were entertained by the creatively decorated vans that sped by.  Our favorite was decked out like a pig, with ears, snout, and curly tail.  When parked at an exchange, it broadcasted loud grunts and squeals.

Just monkeyin' around...

Turi passed off to Sam, who had another hard 7-mile stretch of lonely road.  By now, it was early evening, and the sinking sun helped cool things off ever so slightly.

Matt waits for his turn

After traveling all afternoon, with no signs of human habitation, it was a shock that the next exchange was located in the driveway of someone's ranch.  A dusty place full of scratchy weeds, it was my least favorite.

Brandi sprays a hot runner

Matt, our van's final runner, was ready to finish things off.  Taking the wristwrap from Sam, he had only a 5.5 mile jaunt to complete.  Early evening light was fading fast, and he donned the required reflective vest and blinking lights for nighttime.

Endless highway near Silver Lake

After a couple quick water stops for Matt, we approached the tiny, isolated hamlet of Silver Lake, our second major van exchange.  It was here we'd pass the baton back to our van one teammates and then have a break.  Driving through Silver Lake, the main street was crowded with vans and runners.  It was probably the most people the town saw all year!

Karl and Turi waiting for van one

With the help of a small inflatable monkey on a stick, we quickly located our other teammates.  They'd passed the time in Silver Lake, eating, sleeping, and trying to stay cool.

The baton is passed back to van one

Steve was poised at the exchange point, ready to go again.  In the day's fading light, Matt finished his leg, slapping the "baton" back onto Steve's waiting wrist.  Yahoo!  My van two teammates and I had survived our first blazing hot legs!

Steve runs into the sunset

And Steve disappeared into the sunset, we bid our van one teammates goodbye, and headed towards the town of La Pine.  It was a long, desolate 50 mile drive that seemed to take forever.  Everyone was tired, sweaty and hungry.  We'd heard La Pine High School had graciously offered weary CLR runners showers, a place to sleep, and a pancake feed.  Boy did that sound wonderful!

Vans reunited - for a short while

The rumors were true - in La Pine, my teammates and I found the high school full of eager volunteers ready to meet our every need.  After a fantastic hot shower, pancake dinner, and use of a real flushing toilet, I bedded down in the football field with my van one compadres to catch a few winks.  With only two hours before we had to leave to meet van one, I tried hard to relax and rest.

A million stars twinkled in the dark sky above.  The field was quiet and peaceful.  But my head was swirling in anticipation of the next leg.  My longest of the three, I'd be traversing a remote forested lane for seven miles.  What surprises awaited our next leg of this journey?

For the thrilling conclusion, stay tuned for part two of my Cascade Lakes Relay recap!


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