Running: Running wild

Steve Virgen

NEWPORT BEACH - When the Sargentis, Greg and Diana of Newport

Beach, took their annual trip to Oregon they had no idea what would be in

store.

The avid runners accidentally stumbled upon the Nationwide Insurance

Hood to Coast Relay, known as the largest relay race in the world.

For the third straight year the husband and wife will compete Friday

and Saturday. Greg Sargenti is the captain of an 11-member team, A Pace

Odyssey of Newport Beach, that includes his son Steve and Corona del

Mar’s Nancy Larson.

“We visit Portland frequently,” said Sargenti, 61, who works as an

industrial real estate broker. “At the hotel we were staying at we saw

people running with flashlights at around 11:30 at night. This old lady

in the gift shop asked us if we were there for the run.”

The next year, the Sargentis would be there for the run. They train

year-round because the race demands such.

Along with 12,000 U.S. and international runners, the Sargentis will

set out on Mt. Hood, the largest peak in Oregon, and run 195 miles to the Oregon Coast. Greg Sargenti said each team member will complete roughly

three 10K runs around the clock as the race usually lasts up to 26 hours.

“It’s a kick,” Sargenti said. “It’s a rolling carnival.”

The Hood to Coast Relay, which benefits the American Cancer Society,

will start 20 teams every 15 minutes from 9:30 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. Friday

so that there is less bumping between runners. Last year, Greg Sargenti

began his run at 2:30 a.m.

The race starts at Timberline Lodge, where scenes from the film “The

Shining” were shot.

When the race ends at the Oregon Coast, the runners and their friends

and family members celebrate with a party.

“There are 80,000 people at the finish line,” said Sargenti. “It’s so

exciting. It’s the largest beach party in Oregon.”