2008 Woodie Awards
Teacher books it to Sin City
Supervising investigator to compete in police rally race
Steven Piper
Issue date: 4/10/08 Section: City Style
On Sunday April 20, LBCC teacher and police officer James Smith will run the final leg of the internationally recognized Baker to Vegas Challenge Cup Relay for the Los Angeles District Attorney's Bureau of Investigation.
Smith's 4.4 mile leg will end the 120-mile race near the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel Convention Room where festivities are planned.
In past races, Smith said runners have endured temperatures as high as 120 F and as low as 50 F. To prepare for the race, Smith has been running 10-k races and weight training.
Last year the bureau placed second in its category with a final time of 15:36:09. In first place was Huntington Beach Police Department with a final time of 15:27:11.
With a gap of nine minutes, Smith worries getting first place "may come down to the last leg."
Having participated in the event for 10 years, Smith said he does it for "competition, camaraderie and team spirit."
Catalina Gaete, a public administration student of Smith, said that he "really wants to bring in first for his team." Gaete has tentative plans to go to Las Vegas and support her professor.
When talking about whether she had any words of encouragement for Smith, Gaete said, "I wish him good luck."
L.A. Police Officers Chuck Foote and Larry Moore envisioned the relay in 1985, when the first race was run. Foote and Moore were driving over the stretch of highway between Baker and Las Vegas when they came up with the idea for the race.
The course begins 20 miles north of Baker on Highway 127. Once at Shoshone, runners head northeast on Highway 178 into Nevada and then take Highway 372 to Pahrump. The runners then continue southeast on Highway 160 to finish the race in Las Vegas.
Since its inception, the relay has grown most noticeably in entries and categories. From 19 teams in 1985, the relay grew to having 227 teams in 2007 with a total of 5,300 runners. Participating agencies include judges, probation officers, district attorneys, U.S. attorneys and full time civilian police personnel.
The relay is now the largest law enforcement agency event in the country. Participants have traveled as far as Queensland, Australia; South Wales, England; Calgary, Canada and Berlin to attend the event.
More information about the relay is available at bakervegas.com.
Smith's 4.4 mile leg will end the 120-mile race near the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel Convention Room where festivities are planned.
In past races, Smith said runners have endured temperatures as high as 120 F and as low as 50 F. To prepare for the race, Smith has been running 10-k races and weight training.
Last year the bureau placed second in its category with a final time of 15:36:09. In first place was Huntington Beach Police Department with a final time of 15:27:11.
With a gap of nine minutes, Smith worries getting first place "may come down to the last leg."
Having participated in the event for 10 years, Smith said he does it for "competition, camaraderie and team spirit."
Catalina Gaete, a public administration student of Smith, said that he "really wants to bring in first for his team." Gaete has tentative plans to go to Las Vegas and support her professor.
When talking about whether she had any words of encouragement for Smith, Gaete said, "I wish him good luck."
L.A. Police Officers Chuck Foote and Larry Moore envisioned the relay in 1985, when the first race was run. Foote and Moore were driving over the stretch of highway between Baker and Las Vegas when they came up with the idea for the race.
The course begins 20 miles north of Baker on Highway 127. Once at Shoshone, runners head northeast on Highway 178 into Nevada and then take Highway 372 to Pahrump. The runners then continue southeast on Highway 160 to finish the race in Las Vegas.
Since its inception, the relay has grown most noticeably in entries and categories. From 19 teams in 1985, the relay grew to having 227 teams in 2007 with a total of 5,300 runners. Participating agencies include judges, probation officers, district attorneys, U.S. attorneys and full time civilian police personnel.
The relay is now the largest law enforcement agency event in the country. Participants have traveled as far as Queensland, Australia; South Wales, England; Calgary, Canada and Berlin to attend the event.
More information about the relay is available at bakervegas.com.
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