Runners cruise from Portland to Coast

The Outlaws cross country team made one of its best showings ever in the annual Portland to Coast Relay, August 22-23, finishing fourth among co-ed teams and 11th overall.

Kirsten Clarke started things off from Portland's Hawthorne bridge at 6 p.m. and crossed the Willamette River and on toward Highway 30. Exactly 16 hours later she and her teammates crossed the finish line on the sandy beach at Seaside.

It was the second-fastest finish (16:01:30) put together by a team from Sisters in the 11 years the team has taken part in the event.

The event is held in conjunction with the Hood to Coast Relay and the Portland to Coast Walk and is open to 50 high school teams. The course covers a total of 127 miles with each runner running two legs, averaging about five miles each.

The event was marred by a serious accident in which a female runner from Lincoln High School was hit by a car and seriously injured near Scappoose.

"That news sure hit close to home for me as a coach," said Charlie Kanzig. "We were ahead of the accident and just heard rumors of it along the way."

Mixed teams are comprised of six girls and six boys. The Outlaws took two extra girls to serve as escorts for other girls and to get a chance to experience the event. On most years Kanzig fields two full teams, but cut back to one this year for a number of reasons.

"It's tough logistically to manage two teams, considering costs, acquiring four vans, and keeping it safe, among other things," said Kanzig. "We have such a good turnout on the team this year we will likely field two teams next year."

A team from South Carolina won the co-ed division in 14 hours 27 minutes.

"The South Carolina team has come for the last seven years and they take the event very seriously," said Kanzig. "Since we are still in our training phase, I tell kids to approach the relay as practice, so I am pleased at how fast they actually ran without straining."

Members of the Outlaws team included Tia Berg, Claire Kanzig, Lauren White, Kirsten Clarke, Hayley Palmer, Emi Conrads, Hillary Stroup, Cindy Steele, Drew Harrison, Mike Calavan, Taylor Steele, Jared Henderson, Seth Schneider, and Parker Bennett.

Jody Henderson drove one van and Kanzig another, shuttling the runs between the 24 legs of the race.

"It's a great team-bonding trip and it gives the kids who have been running over the summer a chance to race a little," said Kanzig.

Now that summer is over, the cross country team will set its sights on the regular season with high hopes of returning to the state meet.

"I think it's going to be a special year," said Kanzig.