LD: When I first started working as a professional engineer in 1976, it was apparent after several months that sitting in an office for eight to 10 hours a day was detrimental to one’s fitness so I started running five to six miles at lunch every day. SA: What motivates you to exercise every day? What’s worth it is running every day for 30, 40 years and enjoying every day you go. Don’t get down on yourself if you have a bad race. But I always have this positive anxiety, like “Oh good, I want to do this!” Not “Oh no, I might fail.” That’s the wrong attitude to have. LD: No matter what you do, there’s always anxiety. When we got to the coast, we all knew we wanted to come back and do it again next year, only faster! The scenery in the movie only adds to the experience, and the 12,000 other runners get to feel what the 10 of us felt that very first year. Whether you are a six-minute miler or a 12-minute miler, the “team” concept brings out the best in everyone, and friendships are made each year that last a lifetime. You are truly a “link in the chain,” and knowing your teammates are ahead of you waiting at the next exchange point just fills you with adrenalin. LD: Running with a team brought back memories of cross-country days, and there is nothing better than finishing a tough leg with big hills and a whole team is clapping for you at the finish. SA: After running your first Hood to Coast race, what kept you coming back? In an interview with SecondAct, Dutko talks about his part in the annual relay race and his passion for staying healthy. Now retired, he incorporates cycling and yoga into his routine to train for Hood to Coast and other races. “They are runners who are past their prime in terms of athleticism, but remain content in their running lives, and that’s a huge part of their story as well.”ĭead Jocks member Larry Dutko (front, center, in photo below) is 62 and has run every single race since Hood to Coast began 29 years ago.ĭutko has been running since he was a teenager and carried the discipline through the years he worked as an industrial engineer for Daimler Trucks North America, as he ran marathons and kept active on a daily basis. “They chose to take the race seriously, but part of that was taking it seriously as a fun, distinctive experience,” says Baaden. “Since running Hood to Coast isn’t about prize money or besting your marathon time, we noticed that people ran this race for very specific reasons, and that’s what made it interesting for us as filmmakers.”įor the Dead Jocks in a Box, team members are driven to compete by a shared passion for sustaining an active lifestyle. “I love that the race welcomes people from every skill level - you don’t need to be a marathoner or super athlete to be able to participate,” says Christoph Baaden, the film’s director and producer. Members of both boomer teams appear in the film, an inspiring look at how a solitary activity such as running can become a spirited team event. Their ranks include “Dead Jocks in a Box,” a group of men in their 40s, 50s and 60s who have been running together for decades, and “Heart N Sole,” a team of women over 50 who train together every year for the race. Often described as “Woodstock going down the road,” the race now features some 12,000 runners of all ages who choose original team names and decorate team vans according to a theme. Legendary marathoner Bob Foote started the Hood to Coast relay in 1982, and the event’s popularity has grown from eight teams to more than 1,000 competing each year. Each team divides up and runs multiple legs of the race to complete the 197-mile course from Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood to the Oregon Coast. The new documentary film Hood to Coast follows four such teams as they train for and run the annual Hood to Coast relay, the world’s largest relay race. But throw in a team of runners with an infectious sense of spirit and will, and you’ve got the right combination to achieve this lofty goal. Running 197 miles nonstop seems nearly impossible for one person to accomplish alone.
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