Police prove strength of team spirit

Deepa Bharath

NEWPORT-MESA -- Team spirit could be a concept discussed to death in

corporate boardrooms.

But it is definitely what won first place in the Baker to Vegas Relay

race for the Newport Beach Police Department last weekend, said team

captain Det. Ron Vallercamp.

The team of 20 -- 18 men and two women -- braved freezing

temperatures, snow and rain to complete the 120-mile relay race in a

record time of 15 hours and 18 minutes.

“It’s a tremendous challenge,” said Vallercamp. “And winning it is a

matter of pride, an amazing morale booster.”

The race began 20 miles south of Baker at 8:30 p.m. Saturday and ended

at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas on Sunday, at around 12:30 p.m. The team

from Newport Beach finished first out of 18 teams, which included public

safety departments from all over the world.

Costa Mesa Police came second in the same category -- departments with

150 employees or less. The team finished about two hours behind Newport

Beach.

“It’s a big achievement for us,” said Costa Mesa Police Lt. Dale

Birney.

Newport Beach team captain Vallercamp has run the race since the

department’s first team competed in 1982, back when the contest was held

in Death Valley. With the exception of one year, the team has run the

race every time it has been held, he said.

The team doesn’t consist only of police officers, but also has

employees who work in the dispatch and records departments.

Coordination is key. Running is the easiest part, he says.

“We had shuttle drivers who helped drive the runners from one point to

another,” said Vallercamp. “Imagine how a runner would feel if he ran his

hardest and found there was no one waiting at the handoff point.

“We rely so much on the people who form a support system, and that’s

why it’s a total team effort.”

Rough terrain and unpredictable weather posed significant challenges

as well, said Newport Beach Sgt. Steve Shulman. He was not part of the

team, but did accompany them to Las Vegas. Shulman said the runners faced

temperatures that ranged from 57 degrees to 29 degrees.

“It rained prior to the race, dusting Halloran Pass with half an inch

of snow, [and] increasing the challenge for runners at sunrise,” he said.

The distances were not split evenly. The longest stretch was 8 miles

and the shortest was 3.7 miles.

Newport Beach Det. Evan Sailor ran the seventh leg of the race, a

stretch he describes as “severe uphill.” It is his eighth year running

the race.

What keeps him going?

“The team work and the camaraderie,” he said. “There’s no question

about that.”

What is also commendable, said Shulman, is the fact that every year

the team prepares for the race on its own time and does not depend on the

city for funding. The team was fully funded by local sponsors.

It’s a year-round effort for the department, said Vallercamp.

“Our jobs are physically demanding,” he said. “And this provides an

added incentive for us to stay in shape. Our goal next year is to break

the 15-hour mark.”