Harbor Police Department to Take Part in Desert Law Enforcement Run

Tuesday, 16 March 2010
Contact: Barbara Moreno (619) 686-6216

It's known as the police challenge: the annual Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay Race.

Thousands of men and women in law enforcement from all around the world come together to run 120 miles from Baker, CA to Las Vegas over a 24-hour period. Temperatures can range from a shivering 30 degrees to triple digits.

Officers with the Port of San Diego's Harbor Police Department will be among the runners hitting the pavement in this year's "B2V" on April 17 and 18 — a race the department has participated in since 1996.

"I think most teams have the same goals for the race – physical fitness and camaraderie," said Officer Chris Woodward, team captain. "Fitness is important for the job we do. It also gives you the opportunity to interact with different agencies from all over the world. It is neat to go out there and have every single agency working toward the same cause."

Twenty Harbor Police Officers, three alternates and a group of volunteers who coordinate vans, runners, radio and Internet tracking make up the team. There are 20 legs to the run that can range from 4- to 8-miles. The route has lots of hills, with a maximum 5,600-foot altitude over rolling desert topography.

"I started doing the event seven years ago. I was asked to do it right out of police academy," said Officer Mike Hart, team co-captain. "I got the hardest leg of course. It seems the hardest one goes to the least senior person. It's no different this year. It's kind of a right of passage. I continue to run one of the hardest legs — usually 7.3 miles with a 5 percent maximum grade — uphill the whole way. I continue to do it every year because it encourages me to keep up with my fitness. Plus it builds camaraderie between officers."

The race usually begins at noon on Saturday and the runners run through the night. Woodward said it generally takes between 17 and 18 hours to finish the race, around 6 a.m. on Sunday. And it's anything but an easy run.

"We've had temperatures in the 30's at night to over 100 degrees for the starters. It could be pouring rain. Once, they had to stop the race because of snow. You're out in the elements. But after everyone has gone though it as a group, it brings us together," Woodward said.

The Harbor Police began participating in the run in 1996, thanks to retired Officer Dennis Morrison. Over the years, 70 different Harbor Police officers have participated, ranging from probationary officers to Chief Kirk Sanfillipo.

Participation in the Baker to Vegas run is the responsibility of the officers – the Port's financial contribution is to cover the missing shifts. Members of the Harbor Police team provide their own transportation and lodging. But it's the volunteers the officers praise.

"The volunteers are really who make this race happen. If it wasn't for them we wouldn't be able to do this race," Hart said. "The volunteers help us do an awesome job with the fundraising and coordinating the pickup vans for the runners. A majority of them are Port employees. They're really our backbone."

The San Diego Harbor Police Officers Association as well as Port tenants help sponsor the team with everything from cash donations to hotel room stays, which are used as auction items during fundraising efforts. Corporate sponsors this year are Sun Harbor Marina, Coronado Cays Yacht Club and Bobbitt, Pinkcard & Fields APC.

The Baker to Vegas Relay was the vision of Los Angeles Police Officers Chuck Foote and Larry Moore in 1985. Word spread and now teams from the U.S., Canada, Australia and Germany take part.

"The goal is to come back with "hardware," the B2V award mug. The top 50 percent in each division receive hardware and HPD proudly displays our hardware in the lobby at Police Headquarters," said Woodward.

Over the 20-plus years the Baker to Vegas Relay has been run, nearly 100,000 law enforcement personnel have tread across the desert. And once the race is over, the officers keep logging the miles.

"I train six months out of the year. I keep doing it every year because I can," said Hart.

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