Mt. Hood Reacts to Hood to Coast Relay

Every year, hundreds of tourists flock to Mt. Hood to jog through the summertime heat as participants in the annual Hood to Coast Relay. The organization has its eyes on celebrating the rich diversity on display for runners making the trek from the tip of the mountain all the way to the relay’s finish line in Seaside.

Since the race is a fixture in the community, we asked locals for their personal opinions on the annual event, and the reviews were ... mixed. Across Instagram and Facebook, locals lodged complaints of litter, loud noises beginning as early as 2:00 a.m., rudeness from the runners, and even multiple reports of runners defecating in the woods.

The first Hood to Coast Relay kicked off in 1982 with eight teams running from the top of Mt. Hood to the Pacific Ocean. With the help of support vans, the teams run down the mountain, through Portland, and finally to Seaside over the course of 24 hours.

While the event hasn’t always landed in Seaside, it has always started at the top of Mt. Hood.

In 2025, Hood to Coast welcomed more than 19,000 people from all 50 states and more than 40 countries to run in the event. Forty thousand more people are anxiously biding their time on the waiting list. Indeed, Hood to Coast touts itself as the largest relay race in the world.

Along with those numbers comes a purported influx of cash from racers. Hood to Coast says event participants spend a combined $8.2 million over the weekend. Though the race isn’t specifically dedicated to charity, several teams run to support individual causes and rake in more than $2.5 million to support them in the process.

The numbers are certainly solid from the outside looking in. However, The Mountain Times wondered what it was like for mountain residents to live through the yearly spectacle.

James Caswell, the Manager at Mogul Mountain Pizza, says, “We actually see a decline in business. Yes, all the restaurants are usually super busy the night before, but the day of the race and the day after, we are super slow and our regular local customers hibernate during this time.”

“The locals avoid it like the plague, says Jamie Ladd. “We hide indoors [and] avoid driving on the highway because half of us can't even get out of our house because of all the vehicles blocking all the entrances and exits. [Locals] don't go to the stores because they don't want to deal with all the Hood to Coast people.”

We reached out to Hood to Coast for a response. Company COO Dan Floyd had this to say:

“We want our employees and participants to be as respectful as possible to the neighborhoods and communities that host our Hood and Portland To Coast Relays. We always want to improve our event and the impact that it has on those living near the racecourse. We will address these issues for future events. Participants and race vehicles are required to openly post numbered credentials, and if inappropriate behavior is reported to Hood To Coast with the teams’ race number, we will penalize or disqualify those teams. We greatly appreciate the support and patience of those that live along the 200-mile racecourse(sic).”

For better or worse, it would seem that the Hood to Coast Relay isn’t going anywhere. Next year, it may be wise to have a pen and paper at the ready to report bad actors. As for the mountain’s future with the organization, library employee Alexandra Steinmetz sums things up.

“A lot of people get super frustrated with it, and I understand. I think the economic-boost-to-danger ratio makes a lot of people feel as though [Hood to Coast] isn’t worth it. However, it brings so much joy to people from all over the world who participate, AND we live in a beautiful place, [so] it’s to be expected that people will want to experience it. I think improvements could be made that would help us work with the run instead of against it.”