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more photosHigh Desert Dash “Sleep Creeps” team member Heidi Thomas laughs as she tries to put on her reflective running vest handed to her by her teammate, Jenny Ruiter, behind, as she leaves a relay exchange along Century Drive Saturday morning.
Rob Kerr / The Bulletin
Relay the message
The High Desert Dash relay race from Bend to Sunriver raises funds to support children in need
By Katie Brauns / The Bulletin
Published: October 04. 2009 4:00AM PSTSUNRIVER —
Running on high spirits, racers in Saturday’s High Desert Dash put the “fun” in fundraising.
“It was such a festive atmosphere at the starting line. People were all dressed up,” said Michael Weeks, 37, of Bend, who ran for the RHS FAN Club relay team. “There’s a group behind us that has a few outfits, where they got skirts and bed clothes on.”
The intermittent light snow and chilly temperatures Saturday did not keep the nearly 200 participants (40 teams) of the High Desert Dash from running a total of 33 miles from Bend to Sunriver. Nor did the unseasonably foul weather stop them from having a good time.
The running relay, now in its second year, has doubled its participation numbers over last year, and organizers hope to double the amount of funds raised. Race directors Greta Salvo and Sarah Dennis estimated that the donation to the Family Access Network (FAN) from this year’s event will total $5,000, up from $2,100 last year.
“We have people (participating) from Ashland, Klamath Falls, Aumsville, Gresham, Portland and Bend, Sunriver and Redmond,” said Salvo. “It’s just such a great, fun event, and everybody out here is doing it because they know the Family Access Network is such a great organization.”
A local nonprofit organization based in Bend, FAN supports families and children in Deschutes County who are in need, through advocates located in all public schools.
“There are a lot of kids that need support, just their physical needs in order to be comfortable at school, in order to succeed at school,” noted Suzanne King, who ran for the coed team Dashing Diamond Backs. “As a teacher in the public school, I see that effect and see the benefit of what FAN can do to provide. We are grateful for that organization.”
Many of Saturday’s participants work in area schools and have seen the positive effects of FAN — and also really like to run.
“It’s really scenic, you know, it’s beautiful Central Oregon,” said Josh Davis, who was on the winning men’s team RHS FAN Club, made up mostly of Redmond High School teachers. “And it goes to a good cause, which always helps.”
RHS FAN Club, including Bend’s Davis, Weeks, George Hegarty, Danny Harris and Redmond’s John Holland, won with a time of 3 hours and 46 minutes.
The winning women’s relay team and second overall, the Sleep Creeps, clocked in at 3:59. Sleep Creeps team members, all in their late 20s, early 30s, included twin sisters Jenny and Chrissy Ruiter, Amanda Ferrari, Heidi Thomas and Pam Bradbury, all of Bend. The first-place coed team (third overall) was the Dashing Diamond Backs, who finished in 4:34. All teachers at Bend’s High Desert Middle School, Dashing Diamond Backs team members included Kyle Gomez, Stephanie Waritz, Katie Ford, Dean Prud’homme and King.
“This is a great event no matter what type of runner you are, if you want to do it for fun or to compete,” said John Holland, of Redmond, a member of RHS FAN Club. “The teachers that I work with, I got some really fast teachers, and I do OK, but I like running with some high-caliber athletes.”
Holland works for Redmond High School on the maintenance crew.
Each of the teams in Saturday’s race had to complete the 33 miles as a group, and they could accomplish the task a number of different ways.
The distance was divided into 10 legs, all of varying mileage — the first leg was 2.3 miles, the second 3.6 miles, the third 2.8, and so on. Participants ran or walked two separate legs, passing off reflective vests to transition from one leg to the next.
“The first half is all uphill and the second half is all downhill,” said participant Callie Pfister, 34, of Bend.
Starting at the Athletic Club of Bend in southwest Bend, Saturday’s first runners and walkers began the ascent up Century Drive at 8 a.m. The route stretched west toward Mount Bachelor for approximately 15 miles until the course turned south down Forest Road 45 to the finish line at Sunriver Lodge, with Sunriver Resort’s grassy-green Meadows golf course as the backdrop to the finish line.
“We really didn’t think we could pull it off,” said Dennis of the success of the event. “We doubled fundraising money, we doubled participation and we doubled the volunteers. That’s our goal each year, just to double and double and double.”
Katie Brauns can be reached at 541-383-0393 or at kbrauns@bendbulletin.com.
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