Outlaws conquer Portland to Coast

The Outlaws cross country team made its 11th consecutive trip to the Portland to Coast Relay and pulled through with a solid performance, finishing eighth among 22 co-ed teams.

They placed 16th overall among 39 teams.

The Portland to Coast High School Challenge is held in conjunction with the Hood to Coast Relay and is limited to a total of 50 12-person high school teams. Each runner covers about 10 miles during two legs to complete the 127-mile course from downtown Portland to Seaside.

The Outlaws cross country program uses the relay as a fun way to kick off the competitive season, while giving coaches a chance to assess the success of summer training.

"The kids held up very well," said coach Charlie Kanzig. "Most of them were pretty sore when it was over, but they appeared to have come through with very little trouble."

Teams must have at least six female runners to compete as a co-ed team. The Outlaws were evenly balanced and actually took an extra girl to run as an escort during the dark of night.

The first six legs of the course travel from the Hawthorne Bridge and then north on Highway 30 toward St. Helens before veering west into the coast range through the small towns of Olney, Mist and Birkenfeld.

The race began at 6 p.m., so every runner experienced at least one run in the dark, which adds to the uniqueness of the event.

"The kids absolutely love running at night," said Kanzig. "I think it's exciting for them to be out on their own on an unfamiliar road with their headlamp and reflective vest with just a few other runners along the course."

The challenges of the event include sleep deprivation, sharing a van with at least five other people and dealing with the unknown, not to mention the running itself, according to Kanzig.

"I think the appeal of the relay is that you have to rely on one another to get through and because it is such an adventure making it to Seaside," he said.

Team members included Taylor Steele, Seth Urquhart, Zander Albertson, Mason Calmettes, Parker Bennett, Erik Lund, Emi Conrads, Jordan Richerson, Cindy Steele, Tia Berg, Lauren White, Kirsten Clarke and Hayley Palmer. Two cross country alums who are now sophomores in college, Erin Kanzig and Lucas Glick, accompanied the team as escorts. Kara Calmettes and Mike Conrads acted as drivers for the team.